If it's not enjoyable and fun... what's the point? The last and final step in strengthening your emotional fitness is... Have Fun. Have a lot of fun.
1. Stay present
2. Feel good first; ask for what you want second
3. Let go
4. Have faith
5. Have fun
Picture your life as a measuring tape: The left end represents the day you were born; the right, the day you "transition" from this life. Now, mentally cut that tape at the spot that would represent today. Many of you will notice, like me, that even if you hope to live to 100... the left hand side is longer than the right.
Sobering visual, right?
We have one life. I'm determined to live mine being happy the vast majority of the time - as much as humanly possible. I've concluded, like the other four steps: it's always my choice to have fun. Having fun for me means I must be enjoying what I'm doing, how I'm spending my time, and the people with whom I'm doing it. There's a ton of research over the last 10 years which positively concludes how much smiling and laughter adds to our physical and emotional wellness and extends our life.
I'm writing this "Stretch" from the road on a Labor Day trip up to a friend's rustic mountain cabin near Lake Tahoe. On the way, at 6:00 pm on a Thursday night, in the middle of nowhere - somewhere in the hot, dry, tree-less California desert - the engine on my car fried. Burned up. Toast. 8-10K and 3-weeks to fix it. We rode 50 miles in a non-air-conditioned tow truck to the nearest town with a motel, repair shop and Avis Rent-a-Car with an adorable, shy, toothless driver.
Funny. Of course, it means my plans to buy a new car after the first of the year have just been "moved up" but the best part was being with someone (
and being someone myself now) that could immediately find the humor and the adventure, kept it all moving, and we're now in a cool rent car tooling through the mountains... singing to the XM radio, making jokes, kidding around, having fun. A lot of fun. What are my choices?
I can't do anything about what's happened but I can refuse to allow it to suck the fun out of my plans, out of my day today.
This is your life.
Right now. Not tomorrow. Not after the first of the year. Right now. If you're not having fun at work, at home, in the shower, in the car...
stop it. It's ALWAYS your choice to make whatever you're doing lighter, easier, and more fun. So get crackin' on those silly jokes, tickle your kids, tease your lover, smile and laugh more at work. Bring a funny video (we provided a couple just to get you going at the bottom of this stretch) to play at your huddle tomorrow and kickoff your day with some deep, tear-producing belly laughs, and just see how good you and your team feel and how much better your day is.
This is your only job this week: Have a ball! Have a blast! Laugh your butt off! You've got one shot at this.... And what a job! :)