Running head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY PAPER

Personal Philosophy Paper

Rec 480

3/17/15
Lindsey Nadal
California State University, Long Beach

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Abstract
Everyone has a different perspective of the terms recreation, leisure, and play. Our
opinions form at a very young age as we grow older we see the positive attributes of these terms.
My personal philosophy of leisure, recreation, and play all derives from my life experiences and
my passion for creativity. Growing up I have always had a creative mind and I never knew how
this would eventually affect my life and make an impact during my college years. When it came
to choosing a major and minor, I chose the field of Recreation and Leisure Studies with a minor
in Event Planning Management because I could use my creative mind and organizational skills to
help with special events and management. My creativity is always a positive attribute when
setting up an event, the dcor, and analyzing all of the details. I love making an impact on
peoples lives and being a part of some of their most cherished moments in life. Leisure,
recreation and play experiences throughout my life contribute to the path I am on today and have
transformed my passion for special events into preparation for a career in this field.

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Leisure, recreation, and play are often hard to define because our views are constantly
changing. I have thought deeply on my personal philosophy on leisure, recreation, and play and
have come to realize that I have been preparing for this profession my whole life. Every
opportunity has given me a different view and perspective on the meanings of these words.
Through my volunteer and work experiences the meanings of leisure, recreation, and play have
all evolved into much more and have enriched my life. My future career in Recreation and
Leisure Studies and Event Planning Management are all revolved around leisure, recreation, and
play and creating unforgettable experiences for others.
The definition of leisure is a state of mind where activity is chosen in relative freedom for
its quality of intrinsic satisfaction. Leisure can be explained through three different categories.
These categories are time, activity, and state of mind. When it comes to my personal experience
and what I think of the term leisure, I believe that it has more to do with your state of mind and
letting go. Whatever we think leisure is, even if only free time, we think it is a good thing
(Goodale & Godbey, 1988, p.1). I agree with this statement that leisure is good and it can only be
beneficial. A life without leisure would be meaningless and our daily lives would be consumed
with work and constant stress. Based on what I do in my leisure time I would define leisure as
something that relaxes our minds. My generation is heavily involved in school, various clubs,
sports and work. From past experiences, something as simple as going for a walk on the beach or
reading a book can create a new mindset and build positive energy. Godbeys definition of
leisure also connects to how I perceive the term leisure. Leisure is living in relative freedom
from the external compulsive forces of ones culture and physical environment so as to be able to
act from internally pleasing, intuitively worthwhile, and provide a basis for faith (Godbey, 1988,
p 9). Leisure helps with thinking beyond the fear and doubts. It pleases my thoughts and brings

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me a sense of freedom that sometimes I forget exists. It provides me with hope that I can still live
a content life without all of the materialistic things. Our mindset is important and leisure time has
helped me recover from some big challenges in my life.
Recreation and leisure are often confused and used interchangeably. These terms are
similar in a way that they both help us recover in different ways. The word recreation stems
from the Latin recreatino, which refers to restoration or recovery. Recreation is a voluntary,
organized, socially redeeming activity that occurs during free time. In my opinion, I believe
recreation is more closely related to sports and physical activity that takes place in our free time.
Even though the definition in previous course textbooks does not state that it has to be something
physical, my experiences growing up around sports alter my view of recreation. When I look
back on my fondest recreational experiences, I think of the day when I went hiking in Arcadia to
see the waterfalls, playing volleyball with my friends, or even paddle boarding on a hot summer
day. These are all activities that are physical, but something that I love and enjoy. After taking
part in these types of physical activities, I feel restored and content with myself knowing that I
did something satisfying during my free time.
Last but not least is the term play. Play is simply a spontaneous and expressive activity
that is done for its own sake. I believe that play is critical for developing overall happiness,
social skills, and creativity. Play is sometimes only related to children activity and leisure only to
adult activity. As someone in the category of adulthood since I am 22 years old, I still play and
find it just as beneficial for adults. When I think of play I think of freedom and doing it because
it is my choice to involve myself in something that gives me great pleasure. Unfortunately, adults
will choose to not play because they get too caught in their work and daily responsibilities to
really think of the value of play. Even though I still love to play as an adult, as I get older I

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almost feel guilty and I am told that it is unproductive. Play is like oxygen- its all around us,
yet goes mostly unnoticed or unappreciated until its missing (Brown, & Vaughan , 2009, p.6).
The truth is that we do not need to play all the time to be fulfilled. When I was younger, I was
involved in many play activities. I played board games at home and outdoor games such as Tag
and Red Rover. The list of games I would play goes on and on because I had more time to
have fun and express myself through play. Today, my time is definitely more limited as an adult,
but I still find time for play with friends and family. The beneficial effects of getting just a little
true play can spread through our lives, actually making us more productive and happier in
everything we do (Brown, & Vaughan , 2009, p.7).
The overall purpose of leisure, recreation, and play is to enrich our lives and help us
develop as a person. Many different experiences influence my personal philosophy. Although I
have learned and grown with leisure, recreation, and play in my life, my philosophy and opinions
on this topic was not fully formed until my college years. I have been taught many different
meanings of these same terms for the past few years while studying the field of Recreation and
Leisure Studies. Coming into college as an undeclared major, I had to reconsider my life goals
and passions. My first semester as a Recreation and Leisure Studies major transformed my life
and I was able to gain a new perspective on the way I was living my life. I do not want to find
myself years down the road sitting unsatisfied at an office desk. I want to travel and plan
amazing events for people. This is why I chose the area of Travel and Tourism Management as
my professional practice with a minor in Event Planning Management. With this career path, I
have to express how important the philosophy of leisure is to me and show this importance to the
people that I am working with every day. I want to establish an understanding of promoting
leisure, recreation, and play to people of all ages. I plan to use my personal philosophy to help

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plan new and exciting special events and lead others to overall happiness. I would love to travel
and work in a hotel to help guests to truly enjoy their leisure time and benefit from recreation and
play.
Leisure, recreation, and play are all connected in similar ways. They are connected in a
way that they give our lives growth, development, and recovery. We grow through our
experiences and find the meaning and value of these terms in our daily lives. During my college
years I have gained so much knowledge not just by studying my area of professional practice,
but by working and gaining more experiences to help me grow and analyze my personal
philosophy on leisure, recreation, and play. I am confident that after I graduate I will be able to
impact the lives of others and share my passion for leisure, recreation, and play.

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References
Brown, S., & Vaughan, C. (2009). Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and
Invigorates the Soul. New York: Avery.
Goodale, T. & Godbey, G. (1988) The Evolution of Leisure: Historical and Philosophical
Perspectives. State College, PA: Venture Publishing.