Why “Fun” Never Fails You

Is your life lacking in the fun department?

What qualifies as “fun” for you might be very different from my version of fun.

Perhaps you don’t seek out “fun” but are more excited about activities that bring you joy, are life-giving, or energizing to you. Maybe what you seek most is peace, quiet, and space to breathe. It all depends on your brand of “fun.”

I am fortunate – I get to do work that I very much enjoy and yet if all I ever do is work, I become a one-dimensional person that others find hard to relate to.

You need more to life than work and endless doing.

I know you are probably thinking about all the many, many tasks waiting to be checked off. There will always be something to do! Beware, endless doing is depleting. You need moments in your life that bring you joy and connect you to others too! And those moments need to occur regularly.

For those of us who are of the driven variety, making space for fun requires some effort. Why not appeal to your goal-oriented side and set some BFG’s: Big Fun Goals? After all, there are some delightfully good reasons to weave a little more fun into your life including that fun…

1. Reduces Stress

What’s crazy about stress is that the bulk of it is self-induced! In a way, that’s good news because YOU have the power to change that simply by altering your thoughts, beliefs, and expectations.

It also helps to give yourself permission to slow down, and start regularly engaging in activities that you find meaningful and joyful.

When everything feels important or like it must be done right now, it keeps you from taking part in necessary life-giving activities. The truth is, you will approach whatever needs to be done better if you’ve made some space for those fun filled moments. In fact, you might even accomplish what needs to get done quicker and in a far superior way if you tackle them from a filled-up with fun place.

What are your priorities in this season? What do you need to eliminate or simplify to make space for more fun in your life?

2. Increases Concentration

Your ability to concentrate soars after allowing yourself to do something you love doing. So does your attitude!

Playing games, doing crossword puzzles, reading for pleasure – these are all examples of fun activities that naturally improve your concentration and your memory. Sounds like a pretty good excuse to include activities like that into your life, right?

3. Balances Your Hormones

Stress does a number on your physical body – that’s no secret! Under stress, your body produces stress hormones – you know the ones that make your heart race, palms sweat, breathing quicken, and prepares your body for action?

On the flip side, when you engage in doing something you love and have a little fun it lowers your cortisol levels while increasing your serotonin. That makes it easier to relax and to connect with others too!

4. Perks Up Your Mood

Persistent busyness is a real downer! It prevents you from processing life and connecting to your feelings. Have you fallen for the lie that you don’t have time for fun in your life? If so, that might explain your grumpiness!

Incorporating more of what you love doing into in your life is a brilliant way to recapture joy. It also lessens anxiety and depression, and if you’ve experienced either of those, you know the toll they take on your life, mood, and productivity.

5. Keeps You Young!

Having fun might not be the fountain of youth, but it sure does help you get in touch with your younger self – the one who played!

Play is about being curious, active, spontaneous, and FREE – no agenda. Just doing what seems amusing in the moment. Think adventure! And studies show that people who feel younger live longer. That motivates me to have fun and play more, how about you?

6. Cranks Up Your Energy

Did you know that having fun is energizing? In fact, having fun gives you more energy than it takes! Contrast that with stress, demanding work, challenging relationships, or health issues which all zap your energy.

When life gets revved up, the very first thing to get cut out are the activities that fuel and calm your soul. In the future, you might want to think twice before you nix those activities. Having fun – it keeps you going!

7. Improves Relationships

Fun moments enhance your relationships in two ways. First, you show up in a happier more pleasant way when you have regular fun in your life. Believe me, the people in your life feel the difference both at work and at home!

Second, fun doesn’t have to be a solo adventure! There are a host of fun-filled activities to participate in with others, and when you do, it’s bonding, full of laughter and perks up your creativity. Fun even has a trust building effect.

Adding a little fun to your life with treasured people also encourages you to improve your relationship skills – the ability to communicate, resolve conflict, and express your feelings.

Of course, there are many ways to have fun that are solo activities and those activities foster a better relationship with YOU! A few of my favorites are working out (yes, that is fun to me!), gardening, or creating something.

8. Positively Impacts the Workplace

Lest you think fun is only something to consider for yourself, there are some powerful reasons for having fun in the workplace too! By incorporating more fun into work culture it positively affects performance and productivity. It also leads to higher levels of retention and makes your organization more attractive to potential new employees. Wouldn’t it be nice to attract great talent?

Just for fun, be sure to mark the last Friday in January on your calendar. It’s International Fun at Work Day!

What’s Your Relationship With Fun?

Maybe you are grinning from ear to hear and cheering as you read this post because you are all about having fun! I hope that’s the case, assuming you also make plenty of time to get important stuff done too. Having an overabundance of fun has its own consequences.

Or are you feeling the pressure to provide, succeed, perform, etc., and it’s been a good while since you’ve experienced fun for yourself? I hope I’ve inspired you to get reacquainted with fun again. It starts with giving yourself permission to enjoy life – all of life! That might sound silly, but I know the demands of work, responsibilities, and life are not small and it’s easy to convince yourself that you just don’t have the time for such frivolous activity.

Wouldn’t it be nice to give yourself the gift of having fun more often?

The truth: the lack of fun is costing you!

I challenge you to brainstorm: What activities fit into the fun category for YOU? How will YOU incorporate those activities into your life? How might you approach your work, your team, or your business with a fun mindset?