By Terez Hartmann
We can all learn about happiness—which is success—from THE happiest people on earth, Children!
Any road that we think has the potential to lead us to success all boils down to this: We think we’ll feel good (or simply better) when we get there. Those who truly understand the Law of Attraction know that focus is everything, so when you choose to focus on feeling good NOW and remember that NOW is also when you ALLOW, you get to ENJOY now (oh darn!) AND “feed your babies” (your desires, dreams, visions) with the VERY THING that brings them to life! Because most children make it their mission in life to have fun with EVERYTHING, it’s no wonder they’re so doggone happy! Perhaps they’re on to something?
There’s No Fun on the Fence!
FUN is only truly productive when we hold that side order of guilt. If you engage in fun, yet feel guilty about it, it’s just like putting mud instead of fudge on your ice cream sundae! Though you may be able to work around it somewhat, the overall sweetness of your FUN day (and the success you are seeking) is tainted and delayed. This being said, if you’re inner drill sergeant is saying “NO!” to play time in a strong way, it is actually far better to go ahead and do what you feel you need to do right now while doing your best to find the fun in your task at hand (more about this below).
On the other hand, forcing yourself to be “productive” while you are resenting not being able to play results in another version of that icky muddy sundae. As Snoopy would say, “BLEAH!!”
The best course of action? Get off the fence and write yourself a permission slip to either go out and play or find the fun in taking care of business. Once you’ve made your decision, focus COMPLETELY and FULLY on doing just THAT. Get off that fence to bring on the fudge (and FUN), baby!! YUM!!
Find the Fun in It
When it feels like dedicated play time needs to wait for now, you can still opt to find some kind of fun right where you are! Before you dig in to your to-dos, consider adding some fun elements to your environment or experience like:
- Wear something that feels silly or fun, like a goofy hat or t-shirt
- Listen to up-beat music (without words if you need to focus and write)
- Keep a crazy-looking object, stuffed animal, or beverage container that inspires a smile or giggle in a place where you can see it
- Take a break every half hour/hour to get up and play with your pet/kids or:
- Watch a funny video.
- Read something funny/entertaining.
- Crank up a song you like and sing/dance along.
- Take a short walk somewhere close by and focus on things like cars with crazy or unique details, stickers, paint colors, etc. or neat/unique architecture, plants, and flowers.
- Look at photos of places or people you love/enjoy and picture being in that place or with your favorite person/people.
- Play a game or use a fun app of some kind.
A Legacy of FUN
One day my husband and I were preparing to meet our son’s first “official” girlfriend. This was a new experience for me, but being that I was one of those “cool” parents who makes her living following her bliss, including performing at hip places like Hard Rock and singing Back-Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga tunes, I felt confident that this would go well.
Shortly after meeting this lovely young lady, Sean then decided to tell her about me! How interesting it was to learn that one of my most redeeming qualities was… <insert dramatic pause here>… that I sing a “silly bunny song” when I see rabbits. What????!!!!!
Dude!!! What about the fact that I’m an author, speaker, recording artist, entertainer, retreat facilitator, etc. who rocks the house and does fabulously important stuff like helping others transform their lives? Why not talk about THAT?? Nope. Nada. Not one peep. Singer of silly bunny songs is all I got. Ouch.
Though MY inner child indulged in a full-blown pout for a moment or two, once I was able to approach this experience from a different perspective, I realized that my boy had just taught me a thing or two about what really matters—the times we’ve spent engaging in joy, laughter, love and FUN.
When you think about it, the fact that we adults want to see 18,000 places before we die, still like playing with toys (albeit, bigger ones), or have a “bucket list” full of cool things to do simply proves that we all have the same agenda: We ALL want to have FUN and ENJOY our trip around the sun! Another benefit: When you feel good, you are naturally more productive, people are drawn to you, relationships improve, you produce endorphins (which help your cells and body thrive) AND you have the power to make a REAL difference in the world. Perhaps adding “singer of silly bunny songs” to the legacy I leave behind is also a pretty cool and important thing after all?
The Bottom Line on The Power of FUN
When our time is done on this trip around the sun
And we reflect upon what we have become
The more we have loved and had times of fun
The less we feel we’ve left undone.
Play-time has officially BEGUN!!!
Terez Hartmann is the President/CEO of ALLOWING Your Success & BEYOND!, LLC, author of the book ALLOWING Your Success!, a professional Keynote Speaker, Retreat and Workshop Facilitator, Coach, Recording Artist, Show Host and Singer-Songwriter. For more about Terez, access to FREE Allowing resources and “Words, Music, Adventures & BEYOND for LETTING Good Happen and ENJOYING the Journey!” visit www.AllowingYourSuccess.com To order her book, ALLOWING Your Success! visit www.Transformation-Publishing.com