Most of us have picked up a paycheck, but have you ever picked up a “play-check?”  A play-check is about getting paid to play.  Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, once said: 

“I never went into business to make money — but I have found that if I have fun, the money will come.

The problem is that society has conditioned us to expect unfulfilling work.  Somehow over the years the masses have agreed to trade their genius, their creativity and their ability to think for themselves for “apparent” stability.

I’ve got news for you.  That game is over.  Times have changed.  The old game was:

• Fit in;
• Follow Instructions (and you don’t have to think);
• Exchange a day’s work for a day’s pay;

Like it or not, that game has ended.  The new game is getting rid of the obedient worker and replacing them with automation and outsourcing.  Unemployment is at record highs because let’s face it…average people can be easily replaced.  To survive, you are going to have to develop new skills that can’t be automated or outsourced.

Change is on the horizon.  You can either fight it or embrace it. 

What do you do when a ship is sinking?  Personally, I’d rather get off before it sinks, than wait for it to sink.  Unfortunately, I see so many people that are still hanging on to their old/outdated careers, old/outdated ways of making money, and fighting against the paradigm shift.

If you want to “thrive” instead of simply “survive” then your new future is to become and contribute your best self and your best work.  Are you ready to unleash the brilliance in you?  Your unique contribution and creativity is valuable and will make a difference.

There is no more “job security” and the faster you accept that, the easier your life will be.  You can no longer expect to just show up at your job, work hard, follow the instructions and be taken care of.  That’s the way it was for almost a century, but that has all changed now.

Job growth is flat, so even if you are a hard worker, you are no longer going to be taken care of or entitled to a secure job with a pension and health insurance.

So what does all this mean?  Is the future gloomy? 

It doesn’t have to be.  The choice is yours.  You have an opportunity here to make a difference by unleashing your talent, creativity, gifts, original thinking, leadership, and humanity.

There is a growing community of people around the world who are no longer content to just pick up a paycheck in an unfulfilling job to pay the mortgage and their bills.  Instead, this new community of people want something more — they want to have fun, to enjoy what they do, take risks, have freedom and excitement and to evolve and grow.

Is “Play” a 4-letter word for you?  Does “playing” seem selfish to you?

If you answered YES, that’s because you have been conditioned to believe that work was something you did to take care of your responsibilities, not because you enjoyed what you did.  Work was seen as a chore, an obligation, a responsbility.  That’s what the generations before us handed down to us.

The old ways are no longer working so we must be “adaptive“.  Learning to build a working life around things you enjoy doing, having fun, and using your talents is the new era.  Moreover, because of the computer and the Internet we are no longer prisoners of “office cubicles”.  More and more people are choosing where they work and how they work.

For example, I traded in my day job sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours a day at the law firm for working out of my home office…and some days, I sit on my front porch or veranda or go to Starbucks or visit a friend in another State because as long as I have my laptop and an internet connection, I can get my work (play) done.

Whatever your imagination can come up with for making a living, someone in the world is making a career out of that.  I get paid to do what I love:  write, speak, teach, run an online business, research, coach and consult!

So are you ready to play and get paid?  Are you ready to pick up a play-check instead of a paycheck?

Great!  Because the world needs you.  We truly need your imagination, your uniqueness, your talents, your joy, your creativity and your contribution.

Stop settling.  Follow your Dreams and do what you love and like Richard Branson said, “…the money will come.”

If you need a little guidance from somone who has been where you are, I’ve created a 6-week, online course:  “How to Quit your Job and Follow Your Dreams” with video tutorials, unlimited ecoaching, weekly lessons and assignments and more!  To learn more about this eCourse, click here.

I look forward to seeing you Follow Your Dreams and get paid to play!

Oh, by the way, “Screw Work, Let’s Play” is the title of an eBook by John Williams in the United Kingdom and who runs the website:  http://www.alternatives.org.uk  Check it out!