Does Work Have To Be DONE In Order to Have FUN?

Several years ago, I had breakfast with Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, one of the world’s largest networking organizations.

While getting caught up, we described the different business activities we had going on.

Ivan said, “Sam, sounds like a full calendar. What do you do for fun?”

I told him, “I agree with Katherine Graham of the Washington Post. She said, ‘To do what you love and feel that it matters; how could anything be more fun?’

I agree. In fact, the only thing that could be more fun is to do work we love, feel it matters and do it with people we enjoy and trust. That’s what I get to do.”

He said, “Sam, I think you’re dodging the question. What do you do just for fun?”

Long pause. I finally came up with, “Hmmm, well, I walk my dog around the lake.”

He just looked at me without saying anything. Even I knew that was a pathetic answer.

I’m not the only one who is often too busy to have fun.

An excellent Time.com article by Eric Barker reported that 48% of people say they’re “too busy to make new friends, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and have hobbies.”

Why are we doing this to ourselves? Why are we letting work run our life? Why is the first word out of our mouth, "BUSY!" when people ask how we are?

Is it a need to feel important, needed, productive?

Probably all of that. But there’s something else going on. 

Some of us want to be productive all the time. We're afraid to have "nothing" to do, so we fill any spare time up with "something."

For some, fun seems frivolous, indulgent. It means we don’t have anything “better” to do.

Somewhere along the line we got the message that fun is something we do when our work is done. If our work is never done, there's no time for fun.

Some people call this the Puritan Work Ethic. 

Dr. David Burns defines this as the belief that “My worth as a human being is proportional to what I have achieved in my life.’

That may sound innocent, but it is toxic because it means our work ethic determines whether we feel we’ve earned personal worth and the right to be happy.

Sound like anyone you know? The belief that “Hard work is the secret to success" is having a devastating impact on our health, relationships and quality of life.

The toll of that kind of thinking? Dr. Ed Hallowell (who endorsed my ConZentrate book) says he’s witnessed an upsurge of the number of people who complain of being chronically inattentive, disorganized and overwhelmed. Many wonder if they have ADHD.

He says, "Some do, most don't. They have what I call a severe case of modern life.”

Do you have a severe case of "modern life?"

If so, it's time to get clear about what makes you happier and healthier and bring more of it into your life now, not someday.

To help you do that - because it may mean overcoming years of workaholism - these quotes can remind you to to schedule time for fun. It's not selfish; it's smart.

Next time you’re about to postpone that family outing or night out with a friend because you "have too much work to do," ask yourself, "What will matter in the long run?"

Quotes To Remind You Fun isn't Taking Time OFF Work, It's Taking Time ON Life

1.      “Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I am going to have fun every day I have left. You have to decide whether you’re a Tigger or an Eyore.” –Randy Pausch

2.      “Finding your passion isn’t just about careers and money. It’s about finding your authentic self. The one buried under everyone’s else’s needs.” – Kristin Hannah

3.      “Of all the things that truly matter, getting more things done is not one of them.” – Mike Dooley

4.      “This is the real secret of life – to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” – Alan Watts

5.      “At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day.” – Simone Biles

6.      “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” – Victor Hugo

7.       “If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to be different yourself.” – Norman Vincent Peale

8.      “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” – John Muir

9.       “Work without love is slavery.” – Mother Teresa

10.  “Fun is one of the most underrated ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.” – Richard Branson

11.  “Success is not about obtaining money or stuff. It is absolutely about the amount of joy you feel.” – Esther Hicks

12.  “We don’t stop playing because we get old. We get old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw

13.  “The truth is, existence wants your life to be a festival.” – Osho

14.  “If you can laugh at it, you can live with it.” – Erma Bombeck

15. "We're not supposed to be burned-out. We're supposed to be lit up." - Sam Horn

16.   “In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.”- Leo Tolstoy

And an all-time favorite.

"Tomorrow is another day. But so was yesterday." - Rene Ricard

Please get out your calendar right now.

Schedule something THIS WEEK that will energize you and put the light on in your eyes.

Engaging in activities that energize you is not an indulgence, it's an investment in a happier, healthier you who's making the most of your gift of life.