by Cherie Duvall

To gain personal and professional success, one author suggested to delegates during a general session at the Congress of Cities and Exposition in Reno, Nev., to ?look no further than play.?

Kevin Carroll, founder of The Katalyst Consultancy and the author of ?Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: Find and Sustain Your Life?s Work,? encouraged delegates to tap into their inner self and use the spirit and lessons of play to enliven and enrich their professional and personal lives.

A self proclaimed ?change agent,? Carroll explained that channeling inner play can inspire new ways of thinking.

?Think about it,? Carroll asserted. ?Improvisation, curiosity, exploration, innovation, ingenuity, problem solving, conflict resolution, inclusivity all come from simply putting a ball out and watching what happens in a community. ? Every single one of us has a kid within us. Innovation, creativity and problem solving comes in a playful mode.?

As an example of an organization that?s promoting play, Carroll introduced Brian Collier, vice president of marketing for KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.

The organization rallies communities to achieve better public policy, funding and public awareness for increased play opportunities nationwide and brings together children, businesses and communities for play space builds.

The KaBOOM! team has facilitated the building of more than 1,000 playgrounds nationwide.