‘What childlike characteristic would you like to keep in to adulthood?’
This is a question I have been asking everyone I meet and work with. What’s fantastic is hearing all the characteristics people believe they have kept, however there are always those ones that come out, as we chat over coffee and cake, where we say- wouldn’t it be great if…
Unselfconsciousness is one of those.
I am interested in how play changes the way people work together, and work with businesses to develop a culture of playfulness- on culture change and employee engagement projects. Working with play, and in particular movement play- I take adults out their comfort zone every day (photo’s below). When we get to that moment of unselfconsciousness, which is a fine balance between ‘purposefulness’ and ‘just for the sake of it’, that’s when real potential comes to fruition.
What gets in the way?
As we get older there are more rules, there is more of a right and wrong way to be, and this way of being is very easy to get sucked in to. It may just be that we have been in the same job, company, culture for some time- and so this is just the way it is- ‘this is the way we do things round here’.
We can get stuck in our own worldview, limiting beliefs, with no curiosity to learn anything new.
We can be crippled by fear, fear of rejection, fear of the future, fear of commitment, fear of the unknown, and fear of making a mistake.
We can become apathetic and un-motivated to muster up the energy to be ourselves- it is easier to melt in to the crowd and be like everyone else.
We can get stuck in a world of that is just about our heads and hands. With a body that just carts us about.
We don’t want to look silly.
What does Unselfconsciousness feel like?
Do you remember when you were a child you might walk on the wall, rather than on the pavement. You couldn’t just walk past a bicycle rack it would be something to climb on, swing on and play over under. My favourite game as a child was to get from downstairs to upstairs without touching the floor- banisters, door frames, chairs and tables would help.
As an adult you may jump on the back of super market trolley, or part take in some of these activities displayed here: ‘Public Displays of Unselfconsciousness’.
The feeling of unselfconsciousness stirs in me, when I watch this film…
Do you get a sense of…
- Naturalness
- Being genuine
- Confidence
- Freedom
- Sense of connection
- Being in the moment
- Joy
What’s the point?
From my conversations so far, and my curiosity with unselfconsciousness, it is something that people can connect to more in a non work context- it usually quite unrelated to business. However, by bringing out the qualities of unselfconsciousness it can have a massive impact.
Businesses…
1. Will be more human- and develop relationships with clients and customers in a new way
2. Connect with more people, and have the potential to go further, having more impact.
3. Stand out. You will be unique.
Teams…
1. Foster a sense of belonging. People want to contribute and play their part.
2. Build a sense of trust and respect.
3. Diversity is strengthened and encouraged.
Individuals…
1. Are confident, and will push themselves to try new things, and be adventurous.
2. Are empowered, motivated and energised. This impacts on decision making and how to join in.
3. Are relaxed. Focused, wholehearted and happy.
This is not just something you can fix, nor is it a do once thing- on a Friday at 2.30pm.
In Business it is about culture.
In Teams it is about belonging.
For you it is about being yourself.
To join in the childlike characteristics conversation visit the In Movement Facebook Page
Share and Enjoy!
[...] helping to break down barriers and is a very good way of moving the mind to a positive place. Let’s try a little unselfconsciousness, from Catherine Wilks, is a good piece to help think about this [...]