We swim in waters of toxic productivity. We swim in shark waters. Some days, it’s more like drowning than swimming. 

Looking for perfection instead of play. 

Being “always-on” instead of daydreaming and flowing. 

Looking for speed instead of creating space. 

All because of fear. 

• Fear of looking bad in public. 
• Fear of failing. 
• Fear of appearing irresponsible. 

Yesterday, a pod of dolphins showed me how to reconnect with my inner child – playfulness, curiosity, and wonder in a matter of minutes and how to live with pure awareness instead of fear. 

We were moving across the bay at regular speed when they appeared out of the blue (pun intended)—first one, then two, then four. 

Mike stopped the boat. 

I grabbed my mask and fins and jumped in. Looking down into the deep blue, I saw the whole pod – 8 large common dolphins, about 10 feet, their smooth rubbery skin shining in the sun with different tones of grey, black and white. They swam right under me with a sense of curiosity and looked at me playfully. 

I said hello to them in my version of dolphin talk. They said Hello back.

Researchers at University of St. Andrews in Scotland discovered that bottlenose dolphins use their signature whistle to recognize each other in the wild. 

We began a fluid water dance, looking into each other’s eyes. Spinning, turning, diving, playing, whistling and every once and a while, coming so close, I could see them laughing. Play is how dolphins bond with one another. They are social and curious creatures. 

I can’t tell how long this went on. It was purely a magical experience. A peak experience. Time in Flow. Breathing, being in the moment, pure awareness. 

Can you design your days to have more child-like moments like these? 

Here’s how: 

1. Do you recall what made you feel the most free, light, and alive when you were young? 

Can you write these characteristics down? 

For me, they are: 

• Freedom
• Creativity
• Outdoors
• Adventure
• Exploring
• Nature
• Active
• Playful
• Flow
• Curiosity

2. Can you incorporate at least one of these characteristics into your day, reconnecting with your inner child. 

Ask yourself, how are you bringing your inner child traits into your day? Each morning, thing of something you can do that will incorporate one or more of these traits. 

3. Take it to the next level with your team. 

Dolphins represent happiness, willpower, mental power, humor, playfulness, intelligence, wholeness, virtue, and teamwork. They teach you balance between your body, mind, and spirit. 

Human behavior has five personality traits, which — funny enough — form the acronym OCEAN. These include: 

• Openness (curious, playful, and active)
• Conscientiousness (reliable, predictability, and self-controlled) 
• Extraversion (friendly, outgoing, and sociable) 
• Agreeableness (kind, affectionate, and helpful)
• Neuroticism (anxious, erratic, and emotionally unstable).

Now imagine the people you work with. Is your team a shark team where trust is low and everyone’s on their own, behavior is erratic, the energy is anxious and emotionally unstable? Or is your team a pod of dolphins – who work together, love to play, and trust each other? 

Imagine how much more fun it would be at work if we incorporated more curiosity, playfulness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness and less neuroticism? 

I’m still smiling on the inside from this magical experience. 

I hope we say Hello again soon. 

You can see the video from the boat on our Instagram account at @unhustle. Next time, maybe I’ll bring my GoPro – but then again, I’d rather be present.