The Art and Science of Having More with Less

It was early morning, the birds were chirping, the street sweepers were methodically clearing debris off the sidewalk, the coffee vendor was chattily filling his customer’s cups with fragrant java from the dispenser precariously balanced on the back of his bicycle. Here I was, taking a pleasant and serene walk while on my recent visit to India.

As I took a turn into a small sideroad, I noticed two little girls running around and playing. At first I didn’t take much notice. But then something grabbed my attention.

The gleeful duo were scampering around chasing each other, squealing with delight, clapping their hands, laughing hard, and just plain enjoying each other’s company. Again, nothing extraordinary. But something was drawing my attention to them, and then I saw it.

They were pretty much absent of what we would define as typical material needs.

No toys to play with. No playground to run around in. Old, worn out clothing. Disheveled hair. Not even any footwear while running around the street.

My first thought was, how could they be so happy? Do they not feel despondent or envious of other kids that have more. Do they not feel worried about their futures?

But none of that really seemed to matter, they were living life in the moment, completely and joyfully absorbed into their natural sense of play.

My next rationalization was “they are just kids”, ignorant to the social and economic structures and norms. Oblivious to how the world really works.

But then, I figured, we see this same level of psychic energy and consciousness in adults too.

A climber could spend hours on a rock face and be completely absorbed with the challenge, the interaction between her fingers and the next rock outcrop, the changing weather patterns, and the ultimate goal – the top of the cliff.

A violinist in an orchestra becomes the violin, completely engrossed with the activity of playing his part, but also being in absolute synchrony with the broader group.

A painter could spend hours honing her painting not aware of her immediate surroundings.

So does this experience only come to fruition when the skills required are more refined or complex? Not really.

Take a factory assembly line, where two workers are next to each other doing the same repetitive task over and over again. One may be carrying out their task in a mechanical fashion, while the other may be immersed in their curiosity, with a sense of perseverance to continually improve their skills and quality of work.

Two individuals standing next to each other at an art museum staring at a Rodin statue. One may be passing through and merely throwing a glance at the marble figurine. The other may be swept into a different realm, admiring the intricate contours and appreciating the level of difficulty and complexity of the art in front of her.

How does this happen?

I truly believe this is due to what I call the power of play.

And it can work with anyone, in any activity, in any situation, or in any environment.

And there are a few criteria that would make an activity an optimal experience.

The activity has to be achievable, in other words you have the needed skill to complete it, or the ability and resolve to learn the skill.

The activity should require your full concentration, and that’s usually possible when we are applying effort towards a goal and getting immediate feedback whether it is working or not – if not we can find our concentration starting to wane.

This concentration and effort takes us away from our day-to-day reality, and any negative connotations that may be encumbered with it – away from the worry, stress, anxiety or fear that we may experience in our daily lives.

It allows us to feel in control of our consciousness, our emotions, our life flow.

And finally, it changes the perception of time. Sometimes, say when playing an exciting game of tennis, time can swiftly fly by. Sometimes, like when we are excitedly learning some new dance steps, time and motion can slow down and we appreciate these micro-moments.

When we leap off the diving board and plunge into this state of Play, we experience a great sense of enjoyment – a feeling that the psychic energy we have consumed was worth it and has resulted in a great outcome, one that can be savored for a long time to come.

And that is how we can have more with less.

We can make every day, every activity, every experience, fulfilling and nourishing to our soul by simply being more present with what we’re doing and bringing more enjoyment with what we do.

Just like the two little girls that were completely involved and enjoying the experience of play together, savoring life together.

They didn’t need anything more.

PS: The next day I bought those little kiddos some footwear, and the way their faces lit up was such a joy to see!

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About the Author: Jayashree Chenglath believes that play is the antidote to burnout. She is a big fan of heartfelt positivity and the founder of Simplify Being, where she helps her clients simplify every aspect of life so that there is more being and less absent-minded doing – read more of her work at Simplify Being.