Where is fun in your life?
Have you been making time and space for fun and play in your life?
I am addicted to being productive, feeling “important” and “responsible”.
I would often assess if the thing I am doing is the best use of my time.
Sometimes, I struggle to find what to watch on Netflix because I wonder if this will be the best show that is worth my time.
I would then get tired of searching and give up watching altogether.
It seems like leisure and fun don’t come naturally to me.
I used to think that I was not a “fun” person.
Now, I am seeing that it’s not that I am not fun, I have forgotten how to have fun.
I didn’t allow and create room for fun in my life.
I was often busy.
As a kid, I used to play and have lots of fun.
I forgot since when, fun got chipped away and then other important things in life took over.
Studies, work, family, responsibilities.
I became much more serious, practical, and productive.
However, I remember what fun feels like even though it felt distant.
Fun brings up a quality of playfulness, the feeling of being engaged and in flow.
It’s different from just spending leisure time doing “something” that’s not work.
When I am having fun, I feel alive and engaged.
Who says that adults can’t have fun?
I refuse to stop having fun.
I invite you to give yourself permission to discover fun again too!
If you're a "highly productive" person like me, It’s a recommitment exercise.
I would remind myself to prioritize it even though it’s not “productive” per se.
Because I know, the energy I get from fun and play revitalizes me and recharges me.
I started learning dancing in January and then I dropped off in February because things got busy at home and at work.
I went back again in March & April.
And boy, I have so much fun.
It’s easy to say “Oh, it didn’t stick, so let’s forget it.”
Please, don't give up on fun yet.
Today I am inviting you to think – what is something fun that you want to start doing or re-commit to doing?
What is something that feels fun for you to learn right now?
Climbing?
Dancing?
Singing?
Pottery?
Photography?
Play a video game?
Kick Boxing?
Cooking?
Bringing your dog to the park?
Go for a surprise date night with your partner?
Crocheting?
Badminton?
Read a mystery novel?
You name it.
Fun is different for everyone.
Often, what I think is fun for me, is not fun for my brother haha.
If you don’t know what is “fun”, recall what did you enjoy as a child.
Recall what were you curious to learn yet didn’t have a chance to learn.
Start experimenting.
Let yourself be silly.
Let yourself have fun.
Before you say I don’t have time for fun, remember that introducing small doses of fun helps too.
It doesn’t have to be a grand elaborate effort. It's remembering the spirit of what fun feels like.
When you’re having fun, your body releases endorphins and reduces your stress.
The mind relaxes and enhances your creativity. It makes you feel lighter.
It may feel like you’re taking time away from work and being less productive but I think otherwise.
You’re investing in yourself to bring the best self to your work.
Your productivity curve declines when you’re tired and jaded.
Pushing harder and longer hours doesn’t help.
Recharge, have fun, and see how your energy shifts when you engage with your other “responsibilities”
You are not just a bundle of responsibility and work.
You can be a bundle of joy too.
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