Pray More, Play More

You’re not too busy to play—you’re too busy not to.

The world’s most brilliant minds seem to have shared a secret: they didn’t just work hard—they played hard.

A 2008 study comparing Nobel Prize–winning scientists to their equally skilled peers found that the prize winners were dramatically more likely to have creative hobbies. Twice as likely to play music, seven times more likely to paint or sculpt, twelve times more likely to write stories, and twenty-two times more likely to act, dance, or even perform magic tricks.

It turns out that discovery loves delight.

The saints would agree. St. Philip Neri, known as the “Apostle of Joy,” once walked around Rome with half his beard shaved off just to deflate his ego—and everyone else’s seriousness.

St. Francis Xavier, trudging barefoot through snow and pursued by bandits, was seen tossing an apple in the air, laughing, and giving thanks to God.

These were not men escaping their responsibilities. They were reveling in them—with light hearts and unburdened spirits.

For many of us, the danger isn’t that we’ll take our work too lightly—it’s that we’ll take ourselves too seriously.

Holiness and genius both flourish best when joy is part of the job description.