Card Deck

The Playground of Possibilities

Card Deck

 

I’ve created a deck of 52 cards, with 52 questions for you to ask yourself, to prompt you to let go of your old, limiting thoughts, beliefs and stories about yourself and the world, choose more useful ones, take inspired action, and experiment playfully with new, more resourceful ways of thinking and being.




Order 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 decks in the online shop

 

If you’re in Hong Kong, you can also find the decks at the eight branches of the Bookazine chain of bookstores.

 

I’ll donate 5% of the proceeds from sales of the card deck to KELY Support Group, an organisation here in Hong Kong that runs peer support, mentorship and leadership development programs for people aged 14-24.

 

Every question in the deck starts with “What would be possible for me if I…?” (that’s about the positive possibilities). For example:

  • I loved myself?
  • I let go of all my excuses?
  • I didn’t always have to be right?
  • I took the first step?
  • I was grateful for everything I already have / do / am?
  • I trusted the Universe and myself?
  • I knew for certain that I’m worth it?
  • I allowed myself to have fun?
  • I improvised new, more joyful, more resourceful ways of being?

 

Simply by asking yourself the questions and imagining the possibilities, you’ll see more options and feel inspired to take bold action. And you’ll approach life with more love, joy, trust, compassion, integrity, forgiveness, resilience, gratitude, courage, confidence, tolerance, responsibility, serenity, mindfulness, playfulness…

 

Here’s what some people have said about the deck:
“I believe that the world will welcome the Playground of Possibilities with open arms.”
“This is brilliant! Just what I need! Thanks Kay!”
“I have been listening to my body’s messages as per the card I picked from the Playground of Possibilities. I am learning a huge amount about myself and learning a great lesson for life.”
“The questions that you post in the Playground of Possibilities keep me positive, productive and purposeful.”
“Your cards are amazing because they combine creativity, arts, spirituality and practicality.”
“What a neat idea and way of playfully sparking awareness of new possibilities!”
“I got my deck as a gift and it is the best best best ever thing to start the day with.”
“We used it today the three of us here and it was super potent. Looking forward to playing with them some more.”
“I was recently on holiday and had a six-hour train journey so I took your cards along with me. I ran through the entire deck with my 8-year-old (who has ADHD) and we were both thoroughly entertained for a whole hour!”

 

The deck is for you if:

  • you’re already familiar with and interested in personal/spiritual development and healing
  • you like books and card decks and workshops about personal/spiritual development and healing
  • you’re enthusiastic about doing the work – and play – of examining and transforming your old, limiting, unresourceful thoughts, beliefs, stories and behaviours
  • you’re willing to accept responsibility for your life
  • you sometimes catch yourself slipping back into your old bad habits and self-critical thoughts
  • you’re a coach, healer, therapist, bodyworker or trainer looking for a fun, simple tool to use with your clients – individually or in groups – so they heal and thrive

 

Order your deck online

 

And the deck is NOT for you if:

  • you’re a “Negative Nelly” who blames everyone and everything else for the state of your life
  • you automatically say “Yes, but you have to be realistic” to every suggestion
  • you’re not willing to do the work – and play – of examining and transforming your old, limiting, unresourceful thoughts, beliefs, stories and behaviours
  • you have no interest in the spiritual dimension of life
  • you expect a magic quick-fix pill for all your problems

 

Disclaimer: This is not a fortune-telling deck. And I’m not saying this card deck is the ONLY solution to ALL of your problems. It’s one tool for you to experiment with and enjoy, so use it in conjunction with all the other tools and processes you use to heal your stuff and live the life you want.

 

How to use the deck

 

Here’s a short video I filmed in my friend Susie’s lovely garden, about how to use the cards – I’m using my hand-made prototype deck:

 

 

I’d love to hear your questions and comments about the deck, how you use it, and the results you’ve experienced. Contact me

 

For yourself

  • Once a day, or any time you want, get calm and relaxed, hold the deck, and think of an issue or challenge or opportunity you’re facing, or a decision you need to make. Or simply ask out loud: “What’s the message for me today?”
  • Tap your knuckles on the deck three times, with the questions face down – that clears the deck of the energy of the previous time it was used by you or anyone else.
  • Shuffle the deck. One card will pop up or fall out of the deck or seem to call out to you, or maybe your fingertips will tingle as you touch a card. Trust that it’s the right card, with a special meaning just for you. The process is not about getting the answer you WANT or expected; it’s about getting a useful insight. What you do with that is then up to you.
  • Ponder how the question applies to you and your situation, trust that your own interpretation is the right one, take inspired action, and pay attention to the feedback from the Universe. I deliberately do NOT tell you what every question means – I invite you to decide what it means for YOU.
  • If you don’t like a question that you pull, or you don’t see how it’s relevant to you, don’t reject it. Hang on to it, be willing to explore it further, and ask your deck to give you a clarifying question. What does that one mean to YOU? How does the question land in your whole body, not just your logical mind? Then, what do the two questions together suggest to you?
  • I know you probably won’t love every question. That’s OK. Some questions might even press your buttons – they’re meant to!
  • Make your answer be about your thoughts or behaviour, not anybody else’s. And make it be about the positive outcomes that would be possible for you, not a punch on the nose!
  • If you receive the Joker card, insert a question that’s meaningful and thought-provoking for you – trust that you know the question that needs answering.
  • If you find it too scary or unbelievable or un-you-like to take a certain action (e.g., “What would be possible for me if I loved myself?” or “What would be possible for me if I asked for help?”), soften the question by adding a phrase: “What would be possible for me if I gave myself permission to love myself?” or “if I trusted that it’s safe for me to ask for help?” or “if I allowed myself to love myself?” or “if I was willing to ask for help?” Baby steps.
  • Most importantly, let the cards guide you with love, light and playfulness.

 

With a group of people

 

I love using the card deck with a group of people. Almost invariably, when someone receives a card, they say: “Oh, that’s the perfect question for me!”

 

  • Invite everyone to get calm and relaxed, and to think of an issue or challenge or opportunity they’re facing. They don’t have to say out loud what that is if they don’t want to.
  • Pass the deck around the circle so that everyone has a turn.
  • Remind everyone to tap three times on the deck before they shuffle (see the instructions above in the “For yourself” section).
  • Offer tips about how to pick a card (see the instructions above in the “For yourself” section).
  • Once someone has received a question, invite them to comment on how it applies to them (again, they don’t need to say what their issue was if they don’t want to).
  • If someone really doesn’t see the relevance of a question, that’s OK – invite them to keep that card and shuffle the remaining cards to receive a clarifying question.
  • After someone has chosen a card and spoken about it (if they want to), ask them to put that card back into the deck so that the next person has the full deck of 52 questions to choose from.

 

Another method is to spread all the cards randomly, with the questions facing down, on a table or on a nice piece of fabric on the floor. Invite everyone to think of their issue or challenge or opportunity. All together or one at a time, they choose the card that seems to be calling out to them. Have a group conversation about the experience.

 

With your clients, if you’re a coach / healer / therapist / counsellor / trainer

 

You probably see bigger, greater, higher possibilities for your clients than they see for themselves.

 

Many coaches, healers, therapists, counsellors and trainers I know have said they use the card deck with their clients, either one-on-one or in groups. “It’s an ideal tool for coaches and trainers alike to add on to your resourceful tool-bag!,” said one friend.

 

See the instructions above in the “For yourself” and “With a group of people” sections – they’ll also apply to your work with your clients..

 

If you’re working one-on-one, face-to-face with a client, shuffle the deck yourself and pick a card, or invite them to shuffle the deck and pick a card. If you’re working at a distance and your client doesn’t have a deck, ask them about the issue they’re dealing with, then shuffle the deck yourself on their behalf and pick a card for your client. Trust that it’s the right one. Invite your client to reflect on how the question might be relevant to their issue.

 

Or use the deck with your clients in whatever way feels appropriate and resonates for you, and that complements your process and philosophy.

 

I’d love to hear your questions and comments about the deck, how you use it with your clients, and the results they’ve experienced. Contact me

 

Order your deck online

 

Wholesale enquiries

 

Do you own or manage a business – a bookshop, a gift shop, a holistic health clinic, a spa retreat, a doctor’s clinic, a school, a corporation…?

 

Or do you present or manage workshops, conferences or festivals about personal development and healing?

 

And do you want to give or sell the card decks to your customers, clients, members, students, staff…?

 

Contact me about buying in bulk (20 decks or more) at wholesale rates.

 

In the news

  • In November 2022, I was the guest on an episode of the “Stranger Connections” podcast by my friend Lisa David Olson in the USA. We are both improvisers, and we chatted about The Playground of Possibilities, the “Free Hugs” concept, and a brave, crazy thing I did for a worthy cause (audio, 23 minutes).
  • Here’s the recording of a one-hour Facebook Live event that I did on December 1, 2021, with my lovely niece Omanisa Ross, a skilled healer, naturopath, artist and author who lives in Darwin, Australia. We’ve each created a deck of cards with statements or questions that prompt people to choose more resourceful thoughts, beliefs and stories about themselves and the world and take inspired action. Omanisa’s is called “OMANTRA”. We chatted about the decks and how we use them (they’re not fortune-telling decks), and offered demonstrations to participants.
  • On December 20, 2018, I was interviewed on the D.R.E.A.M. webcast by entrepreneur and business coach Marilen Crump in the USA – we chatted about entrepreneurship, mindset, improv, The Playground of Possibilities, why it’s a good idea to hire a coach, and much more. It lasts one hour. Here’s the recording.
  • “Monster Baby #42 Beyond Beliefs” – a podcast episode by improvisers Ted DesMaisons and Lisa Rowland (audio, 59m 43s). The “Monster Baby” podcast is “a curious romp through the world of mindfulness and improvisation”. In this episode, Ted and Lisa draw on my adaptations of the “New Choice” (24:48) and “Story Spine” improv games to talk about transforming limiting beliefs (31:11).
  • A Facebook Live video – my conversation with Nicole Denholder of the Next Chapter crowdfunding platform (4m 30s).
  • My interview with Noreen Mir on “The 1 2 3 Show” on RTHK Radio 3 in Hong Kong, February 26, 2018. To listen to the recording, scroll down to “26/02/2018 – Part 2”. The interview starts at 3m 58s and runs until 24m 52s.
  • In this episode of the “Hong Kong Confidential” podcast, I chat with the lovely host (and fellow ex-Adelaide girl) Jules Hannaford about The Playground of Possibilities, the card deck and several other topics.
  • A blog post by my Applied Improvisation friend Beth Boynton: “Interested in a new source of daily inspiration or challenge?”
  • A blog post by my niece Omanisa Ross, a skilled healer and author in Darwin, Australia: “The Playground of Possibilities” 

 

Subscribe

 

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive news about the card deck, workshops and how to live as if life is a Playground of Possibilities, skip on down to the sign-up form at the bottom of this page.

 

To say thanks for signing up, I’ll send you a collection of 120 inspiring, thought-provoking quotes that I love, by Abraham, Brené Brown, Deepak Chopra, Albert Einstein, Louise Hay, Byron Katie, Rumi, Thich Nhat Hanh, Zig Ziglar and many others.

 

With love, laughter and thanks – Kay Ross in Hong Kong
Your Head Tour Guide in The Playground of Possibilities