Walt Disney’s empire is enormous. Theme parks, films, a mouse recognized around the world. Had he failed, it would have been on a grand scale. But at its core, the whole thing started with a mouse doodled in a journal.
That’s the part I want us to hold onto. We aren’t all trying to build an enterprise. (Lord, that doesn’t even sound fun to me.) But every big creative leap has a small, quiet beginning, and we get to choose how deep we jump.
Chad and the lake
I have a sweet boyfriend named Chad. When he walks up to the edge of the lake dock (who am I kidding… he runs), he just jumps right in. No toe test. Meanwhile, I’m standing on the edge thinking, what in the world?! I’m a toe-first kind of person. If I worked in business, I’d be in risk management.
Here’s the funny part: in real life, Chad tends to be a quiet thinker who weighs his options. And I’m spontaneous in plenty of other parts of my life. We all approach risk differently depending on the situation.
Some of you want to approach a creative life like Chad does at the lake: all in, big ideas, big risks. Some of you want to stick a toe in first. Both are play. Both count. And we need both kinds in our lives.
What toe-in and cannonball look like
The low-risk version still counts
Think about the last time a playful idea hit you. Maybe you watched Hamilton, saw all those people raising a glass together, and thought, We should get a group together. Did you follow through? Did you write it down to revisit later? Hosting a game night involves very little risk. You want to play, you invite friends, you play. That’s a creative act. It’s also practice for the bigger leaps.
Every cannonball starts with someone standing at the edge of the water.
Try this
Pick one row. Find your play personality in the chart and try the toe-in version this week. Then write the cannonball version on a sticky note and put it where you’ll see it.
Teachers: hand out Bravery Badges. Before a new game or challenge, give students a bandage or sticker and tell them: “You might not know how to do this yet. You might mess up. The most important thing is to be brave.” Notice bravery when it happens. Celebrate it.
Name what scares you about the cannonball. Then share that list with a trusted friend. Good friends help us see past the fear.
Sources
Brown, S., & Vaughan, C. (2009). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul. Avery.
Dearybury, J. & Jones, J. P. (2020). The playful classroom. Jossey-Bass.
Jones, J. P., & Dearybury, J. (2022). The playful life.
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