Childhood Passions Aren’t Just Play
Think back to your childhood. What did you love doing before the world told you what was “practical”? Maybe you spent hours building cities out of Legos, putting on plays for your family, playing an instrument, or dreaming up stories with your friends. While those moments may seem like simple fun in hindsight, they often lay the foundation for skills that show up in unexpected places later in life—especially in the business world.
Play, performance, and creative self-expression in youth can fuel confidence, adaptability, and emotional intelligence as adults. In fact, many of the most successful professionals attribute their early passions to their ability to thrive under pressure, communicate effectively, and lead with authenticity. One such example is Greg Wasz, whose childhood love for music, acting, and storytelling would later support a fulfilling career in sales and leadership.
Building Confidence Through Play
Unstructured play is more than just a way to pass time—it’s how kids develop imagination, critical thinking, and the courage to try new things. When children are given the freedom to explore their interests through play, they begin to develop confidence in their ideas and decision-making.
Pretending to be a superhero or directing an imaginary space mission may not seem connected to boardroom presentations or high-stakes negotiations, but both require belief in oneself, clarity of purpose, and a willingness to take risks. These small acts of courage build a reservoir of confidence over time.
Children who are encouraged to play freely often become adults who are more comfortable thinking outside the box, leading with creativity, and bouncing back from setbacks—traits that are highly valued in today’s fast-paced business world.
Performance Teaches Presence
For many kids, performance-based activities like acting, music, or public speaking are a fun way to express themselves. But they’re also exercises in discipline, communication, and stage presence—skills that directly translate to business.
Learning how to rehearse, accept feedback, and present in front of an audience teaches poise and resilience. It’s not just about memorizing lines or hitting notes—it’s about owning your space, connecting with others, and delivering under pressure.
Greg Wasz grew up taking piano lessons and playing trumpet in school, which required focus and performance discipline. He also explored acting and singing, which helped him get comfortable being “on stage”—a trait that serves him well in client presentations and sales meetings. Performing from a young age helped Greg build the kind of self-assuredness that’s hard to fake and easy to recognize.
Even adults who didn’t pursue the arts professionally find that childhood exposure to performance gives them a leg up when speaking in public, managing a team, or closing a big deal.
Creativity Fuels Connection
In business, connection is everything—whether it’s with customers, colleagues, or partners. And creative expression in childhood often nurtures empathy and emotional intelligence, which are the foundation for building meaningful relationships.
Kids who write stories, make movies, or perform skits learn how to step into someone else’s shoes. They understand how tone, timing, and emotion affect an audience. These lessons show up later in professional environments where reading the room, adjusting your pitch, or telling a compelling story can make all the difference.
Greg Wasz, who dabbled in journalism and video production during his youth, now uses those same storytelling skills to craft engaging sales narratives and connect on a deeper level with clients. His ability to weave emotion and authenticity into business conversations makes him not just a salesperson—but a trusted partner.
Storytelling, in particular, has become a key soft skill in leadership and branding. It humanizes the professional experience and allows others to relate. When people feel seen and understood, they’re far more likely to do business with you.
Confidence is a Muscle
Confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build. And childhood passions help flex that muscle early.
The confidence to perform, create, and share your voice stays with you, especially when those efforts are supported and celebrated by family, friends, and mentors. Even failures in these arenas become important milestones. Forgetting your lines on stage? Missing a note in a piano recital? Those moments teach you how to recover, keep going, and realize that mistakes don’t define you—they shape you.
This kind of resilience is critical in business, where not every pitch will land and not every strategy will work. The people who bounce back quickly are often the ones who practiced doing so in other areas of their life first.
Play and Passion Create Purpose
In the rush to be efficient and productive, many adults forget what it felt like to be deeply engaged in something just for the love of it. But those childhood moments of flow—where time disappeared and creativity took over—are more than just nostalgia. They are windows into what truly fuels us.
People like Greg Wasz, who return to their creative roots through hobbies like video storytelling, find that passion outside of work can enhance clarity and purpose inside of it. Creativity doesn’t compete with your career—it complements it. It keeps you grounded, curious, and inspired.
Leaders who remain in touch with their sense of play are often more innovative and adaptable. They approach problems with flexibility and bring energy into the room. Their enthusiasm is contagious, and their confidence is authentic because it’s rooted in something real.
Make Room for Play
Whether you’re a business leader, entrepreneur, or aspiring professional, don’t underestimate the value of your childhood interests. Those seemingly random passions may hold the key to your confidence, your communication style, and even your success.
Revisit those parts of yourself. Pick up that old instrument. Write something just for fun. Rewatch the home videos you once directed with friends. You might be surprised at how much those moments still have to teach you.
Because in the business world, where trust, storytelling, and resilience matter more than ever, the tools you need might not be in a sales manual—they might be in your old toy chest.