How to Become a Wizard

Ideas for Action

(I) Develop Playfulness

The examples of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk in the earlier posts might have raised the questions  in the minds of many rather all ,why should I not become a wizard? What are the ways for anyone to be a wizard?

Here we are giving the first guide post on way to wizardry. It is the simplest, the most obvious and at the same time toughest,  nay may be even impossible in some hardened  types : "I am what I am take me as i am" type. But converting the doubters is the real challenge; when they see wizards around living joyfully without ill effects on career or vocation they will quietly convert And spread the spirit because converts are more zealous..

There is a simple solution if you don't care what others say or feel;  But, a daunting one if you all the time self-audit your actions to please others ,or to conform to social norms. The simple solution   is that  you don't have to 'try' to be a wizard; you are a born wizard. What is the single most important sign of wizardry? it is mesmerizing people through innovativeness and creativity. Just remember  your  childhood;  you  mesmerized people all around. You were  a center of adoration of all. You were 'playful'; uttering words, sentences, imitating elders, singing, dancing, arranging and rearranging things, participating in  family , social, club functions and amazing people with 'your own spontaneous acts".

 So you just have to discover your 'playfulness' buried under the worries, anxieties and tensions. There are a plethora of books, seminars, conferences, events, medicines  to reduce 'tension and consequent stress".  And only a few if any succeed; remember  the main source of 'tension' is 'pretension'.  A child is free from  tension mainly because s/he is always herself/himself. So find time  to be  yourself ; pursue activities that give you 'joy'; someone has said that joy wells from within and pleasure comes from outside. So tap the inner sources of joy; please yourself first and then bother about others.

Easily said than done you say? Not at all. It is easy. Just be 'playful'. You forgot the childhood learning: 'all work no play makes John a dull boy". It's easy. It's in your nature. The dictionary defines 'playfulness', as "done as a form of play rather than intended seriously" It is a rank misconception especially in corporate world that serious people are more competent and playful souls are incompetent. The work ethics misconception prevalent in many places is that imagination is just past time and counterproductive 

Do not be an unwitting victim of that fallacy; live  and work playfully; the robots are fast taking over the 'work; and humans can only be relevant and productive through imagination which leads to creativity and innovations.  Just refer to the review of Elon Musk book  on other page  and see how nonchalantly he  "toys with ideas and tinkers with machines". Even thinking he calls 'thought experiments. 

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                                                   You know Elon's child born just last month

                                                   is named "X AE A12" creating a worldwide 

                                                   chat channel jam. He explained but only a few 

                                                    are convinced. That's playfulness at its best?

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When his Tesla car project was in deep trouble he met Larry page of Google and after discussions 'made a shake hand deal' for Google to take over Tesla". With that  tension vanished he intensified the sales efforts, raised income and the transfer deal lapsed, Now this is playfulness. 'Even after losing a match  players shake hands and the loser  congratulates the winner.Why not emulate such sport man spirit in business too.

Take lessons from scientists and research scholars engaged in most serious, expensive and risky business.  The highest hallmark of creativity and innovativeness is the 'Nobel Prize'. Listen to the voices of Nobel Laureates. According to Walter Isacson  `` throughout his life Albert Einstein  would retain the intuition and the awe of a child---". He further reveals that Einstein wrote a letter to his friend saying "people like you and me never grow old---we never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born'. Dr. Andre Geim (age 51) and Dr. Konstantin Novoselov (age 36), one of the youngest Nobel laureates ever) are professors at Britain’s University of Manchester who shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics     As the official Nobel Prize press release notes: “Playfulness is one of their hallmarks…one always learns something in the process and, who knows, you may even hit the jackpot.”  The report also states that Geim and Novoselov enjoy playing around in the lab, especially on Friday afternoons when they like to try fun, crazy experiments.

How to start and progress is the million dollar question literally and figuratively, as playfulness pursuit may earn you better earthly rewards if not a Nobel Prize. Here are many easy steps like watching the fun serials instead of tear-jerkers, subscribing to humour publications and channels, joining hobby classes for adults, making new friends with jovial nature, and the easiest joining laughter clubs. Yes it's proved that laughing produces neurotransmitters including endorphins which induces changes in the body and helps reduce tension and stress besides leading to "eureka moments". Please remember one can acquire new behavioural mode by following a simple rule: "Fake till you make it"' It is even worthwhile to consider changing friend(s) or the whole 'friend circles' and, even job so that you can easily and without fear of what- others -would-say follow a new 'non-serious' way of living. Sounds harsh and extreme. It is but there is no sacrifice too great for attaining higher success playfully and pleasantly . Get rid of pretensions and tension vanishes. Live  merrily instead of worryingly.

To conclude, just relax and be 'childlike'. Just consider these synonyms of the word 'childlike' and you will sense many ways to be productively and gainfully childlike and playful.

Ingenious	Spontaneous	Simple
Trustful	Unfeigned	Eagerness
Candid	Un-artificial	Unreserved
Un-offensive	Unsuspicious	Well-intentioned
Upfront	Blooming	Credulous
Wide-eyed	Teachable	Unpretentious
Unworldly

Daunting? Impossible ? 

Remember you had all these in the golden childhood era. 

try and tap the inner sources .