Tough economic times have left their mark on the national psyche, creating a psychological depression, if not an economic one. Joe Robinson, author of the new book, DON’T MISS YOUR LIFE (Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-47012-1; November 2010), says we can shift out of gloom and doom with a resource our forebears used to get them through in the Great Depression: recreation. Robinson has launched the Live A Little campaign to uplift and reduce the stress of the overworked and unemployed through free introductory recreational classes, from kayak and dance classes to archery or climbing lessons.
“We’ve been through some rough times and everyone’s down in the dumps,” says Robinson, an ATTA Summit speaker and former publisher of the adventure magazine Escape whose book details the skills needed for the missing piece of happiness—an engaged recreational life. “The research shows, though, that we can dramatically increase positive mood and self-worth when we get out of our heads and jump into quality leisure activities. Active recreational experiences can change mood in an instant.”
A study led by Princeton’s Alan Krueger in 2008 found that humans are at their happiest when they are involved in “engaging leisure experiences.” A wide spectrum of data shows that the more active recreational life you have, the higher your life satisfaction. People with a passion can add eight hours of joy to their week. Active recreational experiences increase positive mood and social support, build competence, and provide a remarkable stress buffer, just what’s needed at this time.
“We have a very cheap and incredibly effective resource right at our fingertips, one that can lift spirits in an instant,” says Robinson. “We can still live our lives and connect in fun with others, and need to in this very isolating time.”
Despite the current challenges, there are many recreational options available to relieve stress and anxiety and build self-worth through skill-building. The Live A Little campaign aims to rally recreation providers, from paddling instructors to badminton classes, to offer a lesson free of charge to the overworked as well as unemployed to lift spirits and confidence.
If you are an activity provider or know organizations, parks facilities, or instructors that would like to be a part of this effort to shift the national mood and celebrate the power of recreation, contact Joe Robinson at: 310-392-9580.
“We may be down, but we’re not out,” says Robinson. “A great bike ride, climb, or dance class will prove it to you.”
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DON’T MISS YOUR LIFE
New Book Offers Antidote to “Life Deficit Disorder” and Economic Gloom; Kicks Off National Mood-Shift Campaign
Santa Monica CA -- A rare free moment touches off the alarm to get busy. Someone asks you what you do for fun, and you can’t think of anything. These are signs of a growing affliction in 24/7 times—Life Deficit Disorder, as identity gets so fused with work, we wind up with skills only to produce, not to live. Softball participation is down 30%, mountain biking 60%. Some 78% of Americans get NO exercise.Work-life balance expert and former Los Angeles Times reporter Joe Robinson shows in DON’T MISS YOUR LIFE (Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-47012-1; $24.95; Wiley; November 2010) why we need a different skill-set to fully live and how we can use those tools to make life come alive with experiences that deliver the highest gratification.
Drawing on surprising research in positive psychology, optimal experience, and self-determination theory, Robinson, founder of Work to Live, details how the skills of life intelligence lead to active pursuits that the research shows satisfy your deepest aspirations. Along the way, he jumps in with a crew of passionate salsa dancers, dragon boat paddlers, rock climbers and more in a journey to the heart of full-tilt living.
Engaged leisure activities relieve stress and increase positive mood, things desperately needed in the current economic gloom. To lift spirits, Robinson has launched the Live A Little campaign. Activity providers across the country, from dance and yoga studios to volleyball instructors will offer free classes for the overworked and unemployed to reduce stress, buoy spirits, and shift the national mood.
The book offers a number of provocative story lines:
• Why “life intelligence,” the skills that drive active engagement, is as important as emotional intelligence or IQ.
• Why our brains want engagement, not comfort, and experiences more than material items.
• How to enjoy yourself even in tough times through active recreational pursuits.
.• How passions take foreplay, and why a passion can add eight hours of joy to your week.
• Why you need a “worth” ethic as well as a work ethic.
• Why fools have more fun and being cool kills the full expression of life.
Life outside work isn’t a sideshow. The research shows it needs to be the main event to satisfy core self-determination needs that bring fulfillment. DON’T MISS YOUR LIFE details why you are at your happiest when you’re involved in engaging leisure experiences. Step by step, the book shows how to overcome the obstacles to optimal life—busyness, stress, work, guilt, the couch—and develop vital skills, including how to:
• Choose engagement over comfort.
• Focus on the experience, instead of the outcome.
• Make sure your self-worth really comes from yourself, not your job
• Satisfy your three core psychological needs.
• Carve out living time from a busy schedule.
• Discover the activities and participant events that bring the most gratification.
.• Activate the epicenter of enjoyment: optimal experience
• Develop passions that increase esteem and fulfillment
You’re always told to follow your bliss, but it’s never spelled out how. DON’T MISS YOUR LIFE provides the practical tools, science and real-life lessons to make it happen.
http://www.dontmissyourlife.net
DON’T MISS YOUR LIFE: Find More Joy and Fulfillment Now
by Joe Robinson
Release Date: Nov. 1, John Wiley & Sons
Contact: 310-392-9580; [email protected]