Islamic Life Coach School Podcast
Islamic Life Coach School Podcast
Power of Intellectual Playfulness
In this episode, I explore Intellectual Playfulness as a powerful tool to unlock creativity, curiosity, and manifestation in life. Intellectual Playfulness encourages you to approach challenges with a sense of wonder, asking "What if?" instead of focusing on limits. Whether you’re navigating parenthood, entrepreneurship, or personal growth, Intellectual Playfulness helps you let go of rigid thinking, embrace ambiguity, and find joy in the process.
By taking risks in thought, experimenting with new ideas, and allowing yourself to explore without fear of failure, Intellectual Playfulness opens up limitless possibilities.
A chef who manifested his dream job through playful creativity, I highlight how Intellectual Playfulness can turn obstacles into opportunities. Whether you're bonding with your children, launching a business, or deepening your spiritual connection, Intellectual Playfulness teaches you to approach life with curiosity, humor, and flexibility.
Tune in to learn how intellectual playfulness can help you manifest your dreams and live with joy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If this podcast has benefited you, imagine the value of a one-on-one meeting with me! Click below to schedule your FREE consultation. Discover solutions with no obligation.
https://www.islamiclifecoachschool.com/appointments
Welcome to Islamic Life Coach School Podcast. Apply tools that you learn in this podcast and your life will be unrecognizably successful. Now your host, dr Kamal Atlar. Hello, hello, hello everyone. Peace and blessings be upon all of you.
Speaker 1:Today's podcast is for my left brain dominant people, and if you've been educated in any of the current systems, you're most likely a left brain dominant person. I love my left brain, and this is also for my right brain dominant people, people who just like to play with ideas, and today's concept has to do with intellectual playfulness. It is something that serves as a playground for the nerds, people who like to have deep conversations with others and people who want to know the meaning behind the obvious. It's for people who want to dig deep and find out what lies behind the curtain. Intellectual playfulness is for people who are looking to go beyond the visible, always looking for deeper meanings, and these are the people who are living on the edge of curiosity to find answers and asking questions. Intellectual playfulness is extremely beneficial because it's the root cause of manifestation. This is the reason behind why people are able to create unimaginable things in their life, all while they're pursuing success in their goals and their vision. All the while they're pursuing success in their goals and their vision. All the while they're pursuing money, status, belonging, leadership. All the while they're pursuing spiritual fulfillment. This intellectual playfulness is the reason why they can do it all together at the same time and they're not burnt out through the process. This is the reason why they actually enjoy the process. To describe intellectual playfulness, I'll say that it refers to the ability to approach ideas, problems and intellectual challenges with a sense of curiosity, creativity and flexibility. It involves engaging with concepts and knowledge in a way that is open to experimentation, exploring multiple perspectives and finding joy in the process of learning and thinking. This is a quality that encourages embracing ambiguity and leads directly to novel and unexpected insights.
Speaker 1:Intellectual playfulness is a risk taking of thought and, oh my god, that is such a great idea. For me, it is so amazing. Thinking about risk taking of thoughts, like you don't actually have to go out and put yourself in danger. It's just taking risk of your thoughts. You're just exploring the uncertain with your mind, which, admittedly, if you're trying to explore the unknown in the real life, then it's a tricky process. When I think of exploring the uncertain in reality, I think of walking into a dark jungle or cave exploration, but when I think about risk-taking of thoughts, it's a lot more freeing and feels a lot safer. Risk-taking of thought doesn't actually carry risk to my physical body, and that makes my exploration of a problem so much more interesting and it makes it filled with so many more possibilities.
Speaker 1:Okay, so, as usual, I didn't come here to give you intellectual, philosophical thought. I came here to tell you that this is an incredible tool. It will help you manifest goals in your life that you seem to have significant blocks about or you might have already given up on. I recently read a story about a guy who wanted to be a chef in the Hamptons. So he rented out an Airbnb and started posting videos of cooking in expensive houses and looking like he was a chef for a rich family in Hamptons. And then it turns out a family in Hamptons discovered him and hired him as a chef. Now let me tell you how creativity and exploration of intellectual playfulness created this result for him. So he said that it's about the ability to approach problems with a sense of curiosity and creativity. So if you're a chef waiting to be hired by an influential family, you're going to look around and you're going to say that I don't have experience, I don't know any influential families, I don't have any references, and all of these blocks are going to create a dead end for you and you're not going to get anywhere near your goal. But if you translate your goal through the lens of creativity and flexibility, then intellectual playfulness will demand of you to let go of all of these blocks. It will ask you to disregard all of the evidence of why you can't be hired as a chef. Rather, it will demand of you to ask a bigger question of how it is actually possible. Intellectual playfulness dictates that you don't let anyone or anything stop you from doing the job you want. Just start doing it, unless, of course, there's a possibility of harm in your area of interest. Like, don't start driving a commercial truck without proper training and licensure. Don't start performing surgeries without robust residency and gaining credentials and competence to do so.
Speaker 1:But intellectual playfulness also comes in very handy, especially in areas that are strictly regulated as well. If you want to be a surgeon but you don't have the resources to go through med school, intellectual playfulness will guide you to find the next best possibility that gets you closer to med school. Maybe you train as an MA and maybe you then become a philobotomist and that's how you get started into getting references, getting into medical spaces, getting to know people who can write you amazing letters of recommendation. This possibly gives you the right contacts, gets you to qualify for scholarships when your intellectual, logical, left-brain dominant mind was telling you there's no way you can become a surgeon because of the evidence you have in front of you. Then intellectual playfulness demands that you look past that. Look past the obvious focus on the solution rather than the evidence of how you can't get to the solution.
Speaker 1:So in cases like professions that are strictly regulated, you don't stretch intellectual playfulness to the limit of delusion when it causes harm to others, especially if it involves you practicing something without proper training. But you do stretch intellectual playfulness to the limit of delusion if your success does not cause harm. If you're an artist and you want to have a private show in an art gallery, or if you do want to be a truck driver and you're trying to collect resources on how to actually go through that training, then you pretend and you believe and you visualize that you're successful and you put out into the universe that you are successful until others believe it too. Intellectual playfulness is basically saying that you believe in yourself. That belief is much deeper and comes much earlier than any visual evidence around you, and any other person's belief in you will catch up to that. Now I'm going to describe some of the features of intellectual playfulness, how I practice in my life, and this is for my note takers and learners who want to come back to this episode over and over again. These are the solid points that you want to reference.
Speaker 1:Features of intellectual playfulness involve curiosity-driven exploration. It thrives on curiosity. It encourages you to ask questions and challenge conventional thinking. There is an openness to ambiguity and, instead of seeking immediate answers, intellectual playfulness asks of you to get comfortable with uncertainty and enjoy exploring the ambiguous or complex without rushing to conclusions. There is a creativity in thought, which involves thinking outside the box, generating multiple solutions, seeking connections between seemingly unrelated ideas. There is a flexibility of thinking. It allows you to shift perspective and consider different angles. It asks you to modify your approach when you face new information or a challenge. Then there is willingness to take risks of your thought.
Speaker 1:Your thinking with this approach will involve experimenting with ideas and being unafraid of failures and making mistakes, especially when it comes to just pitching your idea, just acknowledging any and all ideas to yourself. There is a deep joy in learning with intellectual playfulness. When you're practicing this approach, you will view a challenge as an opportunity to grow and there is a component of humor and lightness and fun. It's a playful approach and that's why the process being enjoyable is at the foundation of this approach. It is not too rigid, it is not too serious, and this whole idea has been around for a while. I just wanted to bring it to your attention today because I want you to joyfully reach your goals and I personally love the idea of playfulness as a child and then translating it into your adult life, because that takes you out of the binary thinking of success and failure. And I love the idea of a childlike, curious mind because, even if you're stuck in the same spot for years, or even if you're regressing away from your goals of confidence, of entrepreneurship, of achievement, spirituality of confidence, of entrepreneurship, of achievement, spirituality Regardless of any regression, intellectual playfulness will open you up to immense possibility the day you decide to adopt it.
Speaker 1:If you have a goal of deepening your bond with your son or daughter playing a board game together, you're trying to bond, but every conversation in that moment seems to hit a wall and you can't help but seem to feel that you're not the cool mom that you want to be. If that's the block in your goal, then intellectual playfulness will serve you very well. Your left brain will say why would she want to talk to you anyways? You work outside of the home and she barely sees you. But somebody who practices intellectual playfulness will say instead of focusing on the serious heart-to-heart talk, maybe I can just start to be curious. Maybe I can ask her what she thinks about the board game. Maybe I can come up with a goofy twist on the board game and we can change the rules around. Maybe the time that I have with her to be playful is the exact time I need to create a deep connection. When you take the seriousness out of the moment, before you know it you're going to be laughing together and you're going to naturally form a deeper bond. All because you allowed the conversation in your head to flow playfully and lightly, rather than trying to force a connection and overthinking it to perfectionism.
Speaker 1:With this playfulness, there's flexibility and creativity on the spot. By allowing intellectual playfulness, you're not beating yourself up with harsh self-talk and you're not worrying about about am I doing this right? Because when you're thinking from your left dominant brain, the answer to am I doing it right is usually a no and that stays in your subconscious and you move forward as if it is a solid wall that you're hitting. But engaging the holistic approach of intellectual playfulness you're simply engaging and exploring new ideas In all reality. Just imagine yourself in a playground as a child who is not worried, going down the slide perfectly or swinging in the swing perfectly. She's just exploring, she's just in her element. She's just joyful and curious and enjoys whatever reveals itself. You don't have to have all of the answers or the perfect conversation with your daughter. The playfulness of it makes the interaction less about getting it right and more about just being together and enjoying the moment, which was the original idea to begin with.
Speaker 1:Or let's say you have a goal of creating business. You have a lot of ambition towards entrepreneurial success. You've been sitting on an idea for months or maybe even longer, but every time you think about launching your business, you get wrapped up into perfectionism. You think about how you're going to make it grand, how you're going to make it successful, how you're going to influence and touch so many people and the business idea dies under the weight of perfectionism and grandiosity before it has even taken its first step. This grandiosity makes it rigid, and the invite here is for you to open yourself to curiosity. When you've been believing that the only avenue left for you to interact with your future idea of this business is through hard evidence, when you're believing that you can move forward when you have enough time, when you have enough support, when you are better at productivity and time management, when you're looking for this evidence, which is the relentless pursuit of the left brain, demanding answers before there are any, then you're killing creativity and in that case, the overwhelming conclusion that you will come up with that will keep you stuck without ever taking a step forward, is that you conclude that you're not ready for this. You don't have enough experience, this is not the right time, and you will continue to feel paralyzed and the confidence tank will run on empty.
Speaker 1:But what if you accepted the approach to business like a playground? Just be playful with it. You don't have to build an empire overnight. What if, instead, you just viewed it as an experiment? You start by thinking of one small idea, maybe testing a product with a small group or crafting a fun social media post to get people talking. It becomes more about play. Maybe you create a playful challenge for your audience and you engage with everyone in a light, joyful way and suddenly you'll find yourself that you're learning, you're building connections, gaining confidence without the pressure of having to know it all.
Speaker 1:Entrepreneurship through intellectual playfulness is about curiosity and trying new things without harsh self-judgment. Instead of telling yourself I'm not good enough, you're asking what would happen if I tried this. It is extremely freeing because in the playful mindset, mistakes don't happen as failures. They're data points and they guide you to the next move. You're evolving, you're creating and, dare I say, you're actually enjoying the process. Playfulness gives you permission to explore life in a way it was actually meant to be explored. The magic of this creativity is that it lifts the weight of getting it right and replaces it with humor and the joy of just trying.
Speaker 1:All about the risk-taking of thought. How far can you go with intellectual risk-taking? Maybe the answer is you can take the very next step, and that's how far you'll go. Maybe the answer is that you eventually get to unimaginable heights. But what is the loss in trying? The worst that will happen is you'll end up exactly where you are today, which means you don't really lose anything, being in a state of awe and wonderment. It creates things into existence rather than looking for evidence for their existence, and this creativity is very much within your capacity as a human. And this creativity is very much within your capacity as a human Because Allah SWT has given you that capacity. You can practice intellectual playfulness.
Speaker 1:The next time an auntie comes over and offers you unsolicited advice, instead of feeling trapped by her expectations, you can flip the script Playfully, engaging with her suggestions, like you're hosting a game show. Hmm, auntie, if I followed your advice exactly, how soon do you think I'd become a millionaire? Maybe you turn it into a playful thought experiment. Okay, auntie, let's imagine I do exactly what you say. What's the best case scenario? What about the worst case scenario?
Speaker 1:Intellectual playfulness can be applied to your relationships and your spirituality. What if you made your Ibaada something joyful? Maybe you give yourself a week to explore different du'as or try a new style of journaling about your reflections on the Qur'an and you create a game with yourself out of memorizing surahs, or involve your kids or friends in a playful way. This takes your focus away from what you should be doing and then feeling guilty when it doesn't happen perfectly, because now you're in the mode of exploration, having fun and bringing lightness to your spiritual growth. You're still devoted, but now the experience feels like a nourishing journey rather than a heavy obligation.
Speaker 1:Or let's say you move to a new city, or you want to move to a new city to pursue a new job, maybe even a new country, and you're trying to make friends as an adult and it feels hard. It feels worse than all of the science courses that you've ever taken. You tell yourself I'm too awkward. What if I come off as weird because I'm not used to the culture here? Here, intellectual playfulness will serve you very well, instead of putting pressure on yourself to make the perfect first impression.
Speaker 1:What if you approach the first connection and friendship like an experiment? You would initiate the conversation and with everything unexpected, you would tell yourself this is just a part of the game. You would first create your own belonging in this conversation and then other people will start to accept you for you as well. By making interactions lighthearted and playfulness, you will release the anxiety of saying the right thing. You will create a more natural flow where both you and the other person will feel at ease, and every conversation does not have to feel like networking or small talk. You're just there, building connections and relationships, creating laughter, sharing fun and curiosity together, and you will find out that the culture of humanity is shared in every country other. And you will find out that the culture of humanity is shared in every country. Taking a playful approach to trying to master the art of calligraphy from day one or any other hobby that you're trying to adopt, giving yourself permission to experiment, you can create a mistake journal where you purposefully try things that you know you might fail at, but you do them just to see what happens. You can set yourself up for a challenge called how messy can I make this and still call it art.
Speaker 1:I personally absolutely love the idea of intellectual playfulness. I approach my biggest life challenge with awe and inspiration. I love creativity. I make up the evidence that I'm looking for with my resources, and alhamdulillah, I have a lot of them, and so do you. You just have to accept them for being there, because you, just like me and everyone else, has the ultimate resource given to you by Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, and that is your mind. Playfulness just opens you up to everything that's available to you.
Speaker 1:With that, I pray to Allah that, insha'allah, you will try this approach. I ask Allah, the most generous and all-wise. O Allah, you've blessed us with the minds that explore and the hearts that dream. Grant us the courage to embrace the curiosity that you've placed within us. Allow us to approach every challenge with creativity and playfulness. Allow us to tap into the wisdom that you have given us. Let our thoughts be filled with innovation, our actions with guided purpose. O Allah, make us fearless in taking intellectual risks that lead to growth and joy and fulfillment. O Allah, make us of the people that always trust that all creativity is a gift from you and all intellectual capacity is a means to manifest the unimaginable in this life and the highest success in the afterlife. Ameen, ya Rabbul Aalameen, please keep me in your du'as. I will talk to you guys next time.