Are You Having Fun Yet?

“People do not quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing” Paul Valery

fun noun lively, joyous play or playfulness; amusement, sport, recreation. Enjoyment or pleasure a source or cause of amusement or merriment, as an amusing person or thing (Webster’s online dictionary).

 How much fun do you plan on having in 2010?  This might seem like a trivial question, however, your answer is telling.  You may react with “I can’t have fun, my life is serious and I have responsibilities” or “fun is for children” or “not in this economy”.  If you did not embrace the idea of planning for fun and play in your life, read on.  You may be neglecting a very important aspect of yourself that is a natural, innate part of being human.    Play and fun creates inner well-being by bringing balance to your life. 

Do you remember how to play?  If not, think about what fun you had as a child.  The formula for fun is; activity (doing or watching) + feeling = fun.   You can recreate this feeling with activities that are reminiscent of what you did as a child or bring them up to date in an adult way.  

By adding more fun and play into your life, you recharge yourself.  From this place, you can move forward to tackle the serious issues with much more energy and ideas because you are filled up.  If you are depleted or trying too hard, new ideas will have a difficult time reaching through  rigid, tight, serious thoughts.  Creativity Coach and author Jill Badonsky says this about how new ideas are born in her book The Nine Modern Day Muses;  ‘ideas do not just appear when we are sitting down and thinking real hard.  Ideas cannot resist playful movement.  Play’s active spontaneity is the optimal condition for creativity”.  

If you are in the midst of a difficult situation right now, you have an even more important reason to add activities to your schedule that you enjoy.    Your mind needs a rest from worry and stress and play is a way to leave it all behind for the moment.  When you are fully engaged in play, time can appear to stand still.  This happens because you are fully in the moment, engaged in life with your senses. 

As you consider your plans for 2010, add a dose of fun and play into each week and observe what happens.   Side effects may include; spontaneous laughter, new bright ideas, unexpected joy, increased energy, youthfulness, improved relationships and greater sense of lightness in your life.   I double dog dare you to take a risk and play this year!

 

 

 

Photo credit; thank you to my nieces Stephanie & Jennifer and cousins Olivia & Briley in CT for jumping for joy with me on the trampoline a few years ago.