Inner Eye Publishing Articles Creativity Intuition Empowerment

Having fun? Or time-out?

By Nancy Marie

The question, "Are you having fun?" crossed my mind one night while I watched my son's baseball game. The players seemed to be having fun, though as I watched I began to notice a cause-and-effect pattern. From time to time a player would strike out or get thrown out at a base, but that one event wasn't usually that critical when you looked at the whole game. What did seem to matter, however, was how the player or the team responded to that event.

If the player was able to shake off the error and continue having fun, then usually a stronger team synergy would take place. At that moment, the team had the potential to become more connected and consequently everyone's playing would improve. On the other hand, if the team or the player let the error get them down (they let negative beliefs distort their perceptions) then their performance would plummet and the team synergy was lost.

Historically in sports a time-out is called at critical moments. It enables the players to get some advice from a higher authority-in this case their coach. During such a mini-break, the flow of energy can be changed, while new insights can enable the player, or the whole team, to become more effective and possibly turn the game around.

In the game of life, time-outs are equally important whenever we feel stressed, unclear or overwhelmed. This momentary interruption provides us with an opportunity to step out of our old perceptions and create a new, more conscious response to our current situation. A good time-out or response-interrupt relaxes the body, stills the mind, allows us connect deeper with our higher authority (our soul), and activates our curiosity and creativity. This one simple action can move our awareness quickly out of fear and protection into growth and expansion, which is pivotal to achieving a successful outcome-no matter what the situation.

Life is not much different than a baseball game. When you find a way to have fun and transform those difficult moments, which we all have, then your connection to the "universal team" and your individual performance improves. Remember, it is not the outcome that is important in the game of life, but how we play the game. So play with your heart and soul no matter how the game is going and call a time-out whenever you feel stressed or unsure of how to consciously make your next run.

Nancy Marie is a driving force for self-actualization and the creator of the I Create What I Believe! Self-Awareness Art Program. This groundbreaking program, which is based on the research of Dr. Bruce Lipton, introduces children and adults to the art of transforming their stifling subconscious beliefs with the mere flick of their pencil or crayon. Ms. Marie is also the author and illustrator of: Out of the Box and Into Yourself!, Passage of Change, A fable based on the research of Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., and The Beckoning Song of Your Soul, A Guidebook for Developing Your Intuition.