Estimated Reading Time 6 Minutes
Hey You! Welcome to the Vibrant Life Podcast. I’m Emily Romrell. It’s great to be here again with you my friends. I hope things are going well for you. Things have been good for me. Mother’s day is coming up this weekend, so here’s a big shout out to all of the amazing mothers out there, especially my Mom. I feel incredibly lucky to be her daughter. My mother is my biggest supporter. She’s kind, compassionate, funny, and an amazing example of faith and service. I love you, Mom!
We have a fun topic today: The Mary Poppins Effect. One of the many gifts I’ve received from my mom is the love of musicals. We love music in our family and it’s not uncommon for us to burst out into song at random moments and half the time it’s likely to be show tunes. One of my favorite movies growing up was Mary Poppins. What a classy gal. I mean she is practically perfect in every way.
You know, sometimes I wish I was classy. I tend to be a bit clumsy and goofy, which is great. I think it’s important to be silly and I am who I am. But I’ve always admired women who have that ineffable quality of grace and charm. You can tell it’s not an act. They’re just classy. I know Mary Poppins is a fictional character but I do know many women who have that magic something. And it’s not like they don’t have a sense of humor. You can see the light and laughter in Mary Poppins’s eyes even when she appears solemn. So props to Julie Andrews for an amazing portrayal. But Julie Andrews is extremely classy as herself. Which I think is the trick to true classiness, being yourself. So there you go, I guess.
Like anything, the closer you look, the more you learn. There are a bunch of things Mary Poppins teaches, but the lesson I want to focus on today comes from the “Spoonful of Sugar” song. To quote the classy character, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap, the job’s a game.” This is one of the truest tricks of a vibrant life, guys. If you choose to focus on the positive and find the fun during the difficult things, life goes much more smoothly. And the not-so-fun chores that we all have to do end up being not so bad. I’m not saying there won’t be things that are simply painful and messy. That’s life. But 90% of the time, you can channel your inner Mary Poppins and a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
So what are some strategies we can use to gamify the unpleasant parts of life that we all go through? I have a few suggestions:
1. Play The Game
If you’re going to make a game out of your chores, you have to take action and play it. The truth is that most of the dread we feel about doing something unpleasant is dispelled by action. Side note: I love the word “dispel” it literally means to drive or push away. And that definition requires action. I like to think we are driving or pushing away the false spells in our minds. It’s like lifting a fog that allows us to see the truth.
But so often our thoughts about unpleasant things are way worse than the thing itself. And if we can just take action, even baby steps, a lot of that goes away. When you stay on the sidelines, it’s easy for your mind to come up with all kinds of reasons why playing the game would be difficult and dangerous. But actually playing the game is what life is about. So stop thinking so much about it. Just take the first small action and then the next one. It all adds up. Pretty soon you’ll be scoring more goals than you may have realized was possible.
2. Be Playful
I don’t remember where I heard this saying but it’s stuck with me. “An adult is simply a child who stopped playing.” I can honestly say enough about the importance of being playful. Life should be filled with as much fun as possible. Sometimes we forget that when things get heavy. A little laughter and play lighten everything up.
There are lots of ways to make games out of chores. The only limit is your imagination. If you have kids in your life, how often do you challenge them to see how fast they can accomplish a task? Do the same thing yourself. The challenge of beating a personal record is fun and rewarding.
You know that cliché scene in movies where there is some kind of tension and then they’re either washing the car or doing dishes etc and it turns into a water fight? Suddenly the people aren’t fighting but playing with each other. Rather than making a splash with drama, they’re splashing their way into a good time. They’re dispelling the bad feelings and connecting through play. So embrace your silly side and make time to laugh. Be Playful.
3. Dance Your Way Through It
Music is magical. Crank up your favorite jam and you can dance your way through just about anything. When you move your body it actually changes your brain chemistry. Your feet start tapping, the endorphins start pumping, and your mood is elevated. It’s my firm belief that kitchens are made for dancing. There’s nothing like slipping and sliding around the kitchen floor in your socks, especially to the beat of your favorite song.
If you’re having a hard time making a game out of something really difficult. My advice is music. Upbeat songs will get your heart pumping more positively. There’s nothing like a sad power ballad when you need a good cry. You may even want to learn to play an instrument. My guitar has helped me through a lot. That is another way to play your way through tough things.
4. Reward Yourself For A Job Well Done
Going back to Mary Poppins, sometimes the medicine you have to take is simply awful. The spoonful of sugar part can be a reward that you give yourself for pushing through it. Anticipation of something you enjoy will also dispel a lot of the unpleasant parts of jobs you don’t like. It doesn’t have to cost money, though it’s fine if it does. You could reward yourself with a walk outside in the sunshine, with time in a great book just for the pleasure of reading, with a really delicious meal. It could be anything. But I’ve found that if you but the thing you don’t want to do first and reward yourself with something…wait for it…rewarding, it makes things a lot easier to get through.
You can even reward yourself in stages. If a job seems daunting and you feel overwhelmed. Try breaking it up into smaller chunks and rewarding yourself for completing each stage. If your whole house is a mess, clean the living room, then take a twenty-minute break to walk outside, then come back and clean the kitchen. Use your imagination. This is something that has really helped me. It’s one of the best tricks I know to get things done. Break the task up into what seems doable, then just do the next best thing, one step at a time. Don’t stress over how long it takes you, or about other things on your to-do list. Focus on the job in front of you. Then the chore will be done sooner than you may have thought.
There are so many ways that you can take a difficult task or situation and make it better through the Mary Poppins effect. Make things a game and you will be a winner. My challenge to you this week is to make things more fun in your life. Gamify the tough bits and they’ll end up being less tough. You are stronger than you think. Embrace your inner Mary Poppins and Live the Vibrant Life!
One last thing, are you loving the podcast? I’m having so much fun putting these episodes out for you. If The Vibrant Life Podcast is a positive influence, a quick review on iTunes would mean so much. Or just take a minute to tell a friend that you think might enjoy listening. Thanks for getting the word out. Have a great week, everybody.
