You Might As Well Make the Most of it!

Floating Toward Clarity: The Strategic Power of Play

You only live once.
So you might as well make the most of it.
That’s what my mom used to say—
and I think about it more than ever now.

Because sometimes, the clearest thinking doesn’t happen at your desk.

It happens when you’re floating in a pool, sun on your face, surrounded by blue.
No agenda. No spreadsheet.
Just a moment of stillness that reveals what really matters.

That’s not lazy.
That’s not indulgent.
That’s strategy.

What I know now—what I wish I’d learned years ago—is this:
Play isn’t a break from your purpose. It’s how you reconnect to it.

And today? I’m living that truth.

I’m visiting my son.
He’s telling me stories from his MBA program.
I’m sharing insights from writing The Think-Strategy Shift.
And I’m floating in his pool.

Three of my favorite things in one moment:
Relationships. Innovation. Play.

I’m a Waterbaby (and I Should’ve Known It Sooner)

The pool. The lake. The sea.
Even an Italian fountain—if it has water, I’m in.

I’ve always been that way.
But for a long time, I didn’t honor it.
I was building businesses. Raising teens. Holding it all together.

Play felt extra.
A luxury.
Something I’d get to “someday.”

Now I know better.
Now I know: Joy is not a reward. It’s a requirement.

And water?
That’s where I come back to myself.
It’s my natural habitat. My mood reset. My strategic clarity zone.

Happiness Is a Strategy

A few years ago, I took a deep dive into the Science of Happiness through Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.
(Yes, for fun. Yes, because I’m a strategy nerd even about joy.)

And what hit me hardest wasn’t a study or a quote—it was this truth I already knew deep down:

Happiness isn’t a side benefit.
It’s a strategic fuel source.

It affects your decision-making.
Your leadership.
Your relationships.
Your energy.

It shapes how clearly you think, how deeply you connect, and how boldly you move.

And play?
That’s the fastest way to access it.

Tip the Happiness Meter (On Purpose)

This is what I teach now—because I had to learn it the hard way:

You have a happiness meter.
And it’s your job to learn how to tip it.

Not on vacation.
Not when everything’s finally done.
Now. Regularly. Strategically.

Play isn’t a break from your real life.
It’s how you build the kind of life you actually want.

A Quick Calibration: Just for You

Let’s make it practical.
(You knew that was coming.)

Mini Happiness Meter Calibration

1. Think back.
When’s the last time you felt fully alive?
Where were you? What were you doing?
What made it spark?

2. What were you honoring in that moment?
 

A value? A rhythm? A part of yourself you usually silence?

3. What’s one way you can bring more of that into this week?

 (Even 10 minutes counts.)

You don’t need to chase happiness.
You just need to notice what works—and build more of it into your life on purpose.

Inside the Shift

“Strategic play doesn’t pull you away from your purpose.
It brings you back to it.”

So float. Dance. Laugh. Paint. Wander.
Whatever your version of play is—treat it like it matters.

Because it does.
And it just might be the sharpest move you make this week.

Float On Friends -~ Devi