“Question: What do Bruce Springsteen, Yo Yo Ma, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa have in common?”

“Answer: Other than the obvious, ‘They’re rich and famous,’ all six of these superstars play. Springsteen and Ma play music. DiCaprio and Roberts play roles in movies. And McGwire and Sosa play baseball.

“Story: Baseball great Willie Stargiell once was asked the secret of his success. He replied that he just followed the advice the umpire gives right before the game starts. The ump says, ‘Play ball.’ Stargell said he never went to the ballpark to work – he always went to play!

“Significance: How about you? Do you go to work or go to play? Right now you might be thinking, ‘Oh, I have an important job, I deal with some serious issues.’ Well there’s a big difference between approaching your job in a ‘serious-serious’ way or in a ‘serious fun’ way. ‘Serious-fun works for most people…’

“So the next time you go to a concert or a movie or a sporting event – notice that the superstars aren’t working – they’re playing!

“What would you lose if you adopted a more fun-filled, playful attitude? Probably a great deal of stress.

Assignment: Rent the video Patch Adams if you want to see a true story of the power and healing potential of fun, humor, and play.”

These words of wisdom come to us from my friend and mentor, Dr. Rob Gilbert, the one-time editor of Bits & Pieces, a magazine of motivational advice. Rob passed on a cache of these gems to me and I treasure them for the uplift they give me and often share their findings and insights with you. Bravo, Rob! Let’s take his advice and play around today. Write on!