I haven’t always (been in this business for the fun).
For quite a while I was taking my business a little too seriously. So much so that there was very little fun in my life. And I want you to understand that this did not only apply to my business business, it applied to all that I considered to be my business in life (most of which, embarrassed as I am to admit, was actually someone else’s business and, really, none of my damn business).
After learning some (hard) lessons on what was really my business, what is your business and what is life’s business, and to mind only my own business, I was in a need of a new motto in my life!
Which ever since has been, for years now, even before I became an entrepreneur, I’m in this business for the fun!
I used to have it written down on a post-it note and stuck by my screen, just to regularly remind me of this then newly discovered purpose. However, after I threw the note away (as it deteriorated due to me constantly fiddling with it), and after spending too much time in the networking events with serious entrepreneurs, the mindset of fun was overtaken by the common conscience. According to which, it appeared, being an entrepreneur is a very, very serious business and requires so much hard work that there hardly is any time for any fun.
Or, my least favorite alternative, that as the work is hard, the play (fun) should be at least as hard. Usually being an excuse for and meaning that a hangover of some sorts follows. Something on which I personally do not prefer or like to use time.
As you may know, taking anything too seriously for too long leads to serious side effects. On my experience, ranging from being a bitch to your loved ones, reacting from a triggered state to almost everything that was going on around you, forgetting important things, lack of prioritization and prioritizing all the wrong stuff, being constantly busy and bored, regularly feeling anxious… just to mention few.
As everything I’m doing isn’t of course always naturally fun, I consciously make an effort to make it more fun in order to get things going and to stay in track and out of wack.
For example, as I told you before, I love working both on my business and for my business together with someone. So, this week I enjoyed having my assistant over at our house as we worked together on some development projects, that I’ve been putting off. This was the way to make it more fun and we had such a good session that things proceeded with ease.
With clients, in one of the workshops this week we played around with different viewpoints and mindsets in order to reach more clarity around something they considered to be a serious problem. Even though we had some tough matters that needed to be discussed, we had fun working on those. I received thank you notes afterwards for the good session that, in their words, opened their eyes to see what was happening in a completely new way. That’s what fun usually does! And best of all, it appears there’s no problem anymore!
Also, I’ve been making it more fun by listening to one of my favorite artists (loud). Not only when working but also when working out, doing chores at home, running errands and so on. And I can’t help myself but take regular dance brakes! Something I consider to be fun, too!
Making it more fun can be of the simplest of things and yet have such a huge, life changing impact.
How are you in this business of life for the fun?
How can you show it?
Much love,
Paula
xx