In book, The Three Boxes of Life, Richard Bolles discusses boxes of learning, working, and playing. He suggests that most people have pursued these dimensions in a linear sequence. First we learn, then we work, and then when we retire, we can finally play. His premise is that we should try to integrate all three elements thoughout our lifetime in order to achieve most fulfillment

Conrad Hyers said, “We live in a society where even play is turned into work. But highest existence is not work, highest level of existence is play.” Play is extremely important to our happiness and well-being. For grown up adults, play is often viewed as frivolous or unnecessary, to be reserved only when chores are done. Guess what--- chores will never be completely done, so you may as well stop and enjoy view, smell roses, kiss your lover, and have more fun NOW.

With American lifestyle of work, work, work, we often put off taking vacations or doing fun stuff, saying, that we’ll get to it “someday.” Unfortunately, that day never seems to come, and when it finally does, we are so drained or burned-out that we can’t even enjoy it! I am hear to tell you that life is not all about work and no play! We need to bring more balance to our lives. And since summer is upon us, it is perfect time to develop a new “philosophy of play.”

Summer time is meant to be fun time, evoking images of days spent at beach, family picnics, and nights under stars. The warm and blooming season of summer reminds us to honor ourselves and to do things we like to do. The idea of summer is to wind down, sit back and relax, have some iced tea, and watch a sunset. It encourages us to be kind to ourselves, to give ourselves permission to “just be,” and to slow down our pace a bit. Once you learn to slow down, you rediscover what is really important to you. You can take time out of your busy schedule to reflect and make plans for future you want to create.

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7 Simple Steps To Feeling Good About “You” ©2003 Dr. Donald Schnell

7 Simple Steps To Feeling Good About “You”

Here are 7 Ways To Feel Good About Your Life:

1. Ask yourself questions. Every time you feel frustrated with a task, ask yourself, "How does this task fit in with my ultimate goals?" "How can I make this more fun, easier, better, and faster?"

2. Be interested and curious about yourself and others. Curiosity is a learned art. Practice it by taking a new interest in “you”.