Having Fun!
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post on a different site about having fun. I even made it my 2024 New Years Resolution.
I have had a couple of conversations recently that made me want to bring it back since it seems important.
The TL:DR is this: There is no harm in having fun and having fun is not a personality defect.
So, here is my slightly edited post from 2024.
New Year’s Resolutions are popular, yet widely unsuccessful. This year I challenge you to a different kind of resolution. Have fun. That is it, just have fun, at least once a week engage in a completely fun activity. Sounds easy right?
Unfortunately, this is not easy for so many people. Brene Brown said it best "It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.”
Rest, play, and fun should not be brave activities to participate in, they should be habits that you enjoy on a regular basis. Neither are these lazy acts. They are critical to our health and wellbeing.
I started thinking about fun last month and found an audiobook titled “The Fun Habit” by Michael Rucker which really defined and made me think about how I view fun and choose to engage in fun activities. I had already subconsciously been changing my interactions with others and even started to become more intentional about how I spend my time. This book really helped me to start focusing on how and, more importantly, why I choose to spend my time the way I do.
We are entering a new year. A time when change can seem natural and welcome. Embrace the weird, appreciate the bizarre, and discover new things.
I challenge everyone to discover their fun. It could be learning a new skill (playing an instrument, dancing, skiing, cooking, etc.), enjoying a fun activity (hiking, roller/ice skating, trying a new restaurant, etc), or adding art to your life (fun garden gnomes, wearing quirky jewelry, taking pictures of amusing items, adding googly eyes to anything, etc).
Fun does not have to cost a lot of money or take much time. Sometimes the simpler the better.
Start a resolution for 2026 of increasing the amount of fun in your life. I promise you won’t regret it.
