The real cheer in life is to seek out fun as much as possible in all we do. Make it a priority.
There is no reason other than statistics to think I’m going to die anytime real soon. The same is true for most people reading this article. We can’t predict very well when our time will be up — it remains an unknown for any one individual.
But let’s not get hung up on death when life is actually quite simple. What do we do in the meantime?
Have as much fun as possible.
As Bob Dylan sang, we “keep on keepin’ on.” And here’s a caveat from Albert Einstein: “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Our brains are naturally creative, just think of all the daydreams and schemes we come up with each day. It’s the incredibly intelligent human brain that allows that to happen.
That leaves fun, something we adults have to choose to do. We don’t automatically have fun. It’s sometimes suppressed, as is creativity and intelligence. Unless, of course, as adults, we bring out the children in us. This allows us to think, do and function through the eyes of our inner ageless child. Playing helps children develop the brain and body.
Children also express fun through play, and we can take a lesson from them and do that, again. The qualification being that the healthier we are, the better the brain can play, not to mention express creativity and intelligence. That’s fun.
We tend to shun fun by doing too many things that are unfun, trapped in a self-created world where we believe there is no escape. Cluttering our minds with this mental junk pushes the fun out of us, trapping our brains. In our society, fun is often mum. And bluntly, that’s dumb. I’ve been there.
Some of us took up athletic pursuits or recreational activities for fun but have managed to turn them something else through burnout, overtraining or no-pain, no-gain beliefs. If this describes you, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your approach, or seek out other activities. It’s supposed to be fun.
If you’re looking for other fun things to do, start with those healthy dreams and schemes, which may be your brain asking for fun activities. Exercise, cooking, and other creative activities should be fun, but how about art, writing, music or photography? And while you’re at it, don’t forget to add a component of fun to your work. It can be done!
