Set solemn aside and focus on fun

Who has time for fun?

by Laura Orsini — 

Here is a little challenge for you. The next time you are out somewhere in public — the mall, the grocery store, the post office — look around at the people. How many of them are smiling? How many of them look like they have cracked a smile even once this year? Are you one of them?

Do you recall the exact date you decided to stop having fun? It probably coincided with the time you grew up, got a real job and took on the burden of all those adult responsibilities. And now, with the pressures of the new economy, you have more excuses than ever to be serious. You have got to get to work, pay the bills, make sure the kids eat a healthy dinner, and worry about global warming, gas prices and the next garage sale. Who has time for fun?

What is interesting is that no one made you stop having fun. And if you are honest, you still have time for it. “When?” you might ask. Hmmm … how about trading in all that time you spend worrying for a little levity? How about right now?

Here are eight simple steps to help you increase your fun factor and live a much more joyous life.

1. Stop trying to be someone else. So much of the pressure you put on yourself is actually a result of trying to do, be, look like and blend in with other people. Try less conforming and more exploring.
2. Start pleasing yourself more. Take some time to discover what you want, like and need in your life. If your work, clothes, friends or food do not serve you, perhaps it is time to rethink them and strike out on a new path.
3. Stop following the rules. Honestly. Where did the rules come from in the first place? Someone literally made them up, and most of them are pretty arbitrary, when you think about it. If it is not going to harm someone or land you in jail, maybe it is a rule you do not have to follow anymore.
4. Do the outrageous and unthinkable. Ever see those people who wear outlandish clothes or laugh really loud in restaurants? Do you envy them or abhor them? Guess what — it is a good bet they are having more fun than you are.
5. Stop taking everything so seriously. If it is not going to matter in two days, two weeks, two months or two years, why is it so monumentally important right now? Find ways to see the humor in all situations.
6. Get rid of the thought weeds in your head. You are the only one who can decide which thoughts get attention and which ones get the ax. Nurture the lovely thoughts; take a Weed Eater to the ugly ones.
7. Banish busy. It is so easy to get caught up in the stuff of our days. But when it comes right down to it, how many of the things that you have programmed into your life are truly necessary? Find time to relax, meditate, nap or take a walk in nature.
8. Start something now. Here is where you can really see the fun flourish. As soon as a new idea forms for a project, hobby, vacation or the like, act on it. Do not put it off, thinking “if only” or “someday.”

Start having fun now. The old excuses no longer apply.

Laura Orsini is a writing, marketing and design consultant who works with speakers, authors and coaches. 602-518-5376, [email protected] or www.writemarketdesign.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 29, Number 2, Apr/May 2010.