Why You’re Allowed to Play Before You Have a Plan (and How That Play Can Lead Somewhere)
If you’ve been stuck in survival mode, the idea of play can feel pointless - even dangerous. You’ve been trained to think everything you do must be useful, productive, or approved of by someone else. But play isn’t selfish or silly. Play is how you find the sparks that lead you back to yourself. And sometimes, those sparks even lead you to brand-new paths you never imagined - hobbies, skills, maybe even a (gasp!) business.
Why Play Feels Risky (and Why That’s Normal)
When your nervous system has been in survival mode, curiosity feels suspicious. You may hear your inner critic say things like:
“I don’t have time for this.”
“It’s not practical.”
“Why bother? I’ll never do anything with it.”
That’s survival talking. But here’s the truth: play is practice for living. It builds safety, confidence, and trust in your instincts.
What Sandbox Play Actually Means
When I say “Sandbox,” I don’t just mean doodles and crafts (though those count too). The Sandbox is a safe, playful space where you:
Explore ideas that light you up
Learn things you’ve always been curious about
Let yourself follow sparks into experiments without demanding a “return on investment”
It’s about re-learning how to spot those twinges of excitement — and acting on them before your survival brain talks you out of it.
Bigger-but-Safe Sandbox Experiments
Here are some examples of Sandbox play that stretch you just enough to feel alive again:
Try a Free Tool Just for Fun
Sign up for a free Canva account and make something — a silly graphic, a pretend journal cover, a quote poster for yourself. No rules. If it lights you up, dig into the free Canva guides and courses and push yourself to learn things that feel “too big”. It doesn’t need to be Canva. What about Procreate or an in-person course offered at a local life-long learning center?
Follow a Random Curiosity
Take a pottery class, try Thai cooking, or explore repurposing clothing. Even if you “don’t need” it. Even if it’s “not your style.” The spark matters more than the practicality. My entire online journey started because I very randomly signed up for a course to learn how to make digital planners. I had zero interest in using or selling digital planners and never did. But ohmigosh! I learned so many new tools in that course that led me down other paths I had not even know about. And I shifted more from that course than from the pile of self-help books I had read.
Play with New Tech
Open an AI image generator and see what happens when you type in your wildest ideas. Or design a coloring book page just for you (or your niece). You can create AI images for free inside of Cavna or with ChapGPT. If you get super sparked, I highly recommend ArtistlyAI (lifetime, unlimited plan) for endless play and exploration. It’s a great way to follow trails of what makes you happy. Another unexpected joy for me was Imagine, a course and software to make coloring books. It’s a wonderfuly safe space to explore and play and chase sparks.
Say Yes to Something That Makes You Twinge
Notice what gives you that zing of “ooh, maybe…” and say yes before your survival brain throws up the “I shouldn’t” excuses. Once you start tuning into these twinges, you will be surprised at how “out there” some of them are. Like 100% unrelated to anything in your life or future planse. Those are the funnest ones to follow.
Why These Sparks Matter
It’s not about pottery or Canva or coloring books. It’s about the you who tried them. Every time you follow a spark:
You remind yourself you’re more than survival.
You practice stretching in a way that feels safe.
You build tiny bridges to creativity, joy, and voice.
You remember who you are.
And when you follow those sparks long enough, they start linking together. That’s when the Sandbox sometimes spills into a side hustle, a creative project, or even a business. Not because you forced it, but because you listened.
So give yourself permission to play bigger than survival - but softer than hustle. Follow one curiosity this week. Sign up, try, make, test. Not because you need a business plan. Not because it has to “go anywhere.” But because you deserve to feel that spark of aliveness again.
One spark at a time, the Sandbox will show you the way forward.
Want more ways to notice and follow your sparks? Grab the free Spark Starter Kit — simple prompts and practices to help you spot what lights you up again.
You don’t have to walk a straight line through the phases. But if you want a map of what The Spark Path looks like, you can explore it here.
Want a place to catch your sparks before they fade? The Leapbook Journal was made for exactly that.
Tiny sparks → tiny experiments → whole new worlds. Ready to see where yours lead? Check out the Spark Wheel here.
