When was the last time you truly enjoyed something your were doing? More importantly, when was the last work/business thing you really had fun with? Today will be a quick post about something that is near and dear to my heart. HAVING MORE FUN! With everything you do.
I think we all have a tendency to take ourselves too seriously. On your to-do list today, I want you to write at the top: “have more fun.” Not get more stuff done, make money, pay bills, etc. Start with fun in mind and the rest is easy peasy!
In my post on mirror neurons and vulnerability, I talked about the fact that we often try and present ourselves as perfect and that it actually harms our selling and rapport building. Yesterday, I talked about morning success habits, and things you should do each day to be successful.
Today, I just want to hammer into your brain to have more fun. That’s it! Relax and enjoy each day and the people you meet.
I often have to stop myself when I start to get too serious. I have even been told I have a “work voice” or a way I speak when I get in the zone. I get hyper-focused and my brow furrows. It’s easy to get caught up being serious each day and I have to constantly remind myself to just relax. And that any STRESS is actually just a perception I have of my situation. You have the power to control how you perceive each day. Stress is something we create.
I was thinking about a bunch of meetings I am going to have today, that my Mom and Dad are coming to town, and my girlfriend is having opening night of a play she is in tonight. And it dawned on me that ALL of these are opportunities for me to have more fun.
How often do you find yourself just going through the motions in your business?
Do you jump from meeting to meeting and project to project with your head down? Trying to just get through the day?
Well, remember when we discussed setting our intentions? Well, a MASSIVE part of each day for me is when I set intentions and direct my energy towards BEING EXCITED about the people I get to interact with! Think about it.
Interact with people!
Every day, you get to share space with so many different people in the world and you have an opportunity to interact and build relationships. The only question is, “Will you take action and interact with people?”And by interact, I mean actually engage. In a coffee shop, at work, on the street. Connect with your world and the amazing people.
- Smile and acknowledge others around you. Not like a crazy person, but just have a presence of happiness.
- Give someone a genuine compliment. Notice something on someone that you find interesting and let them know. Often that compliment will echo through their entire day! How do you feel when you get a sincere compliment?
- Be totally curious about those you meet each day. Ask real questions about others and show genuine interest in what they are doing or excited about. When you set your intention to be searching to learn about others, it becomes way more exciting. Especially in sales. When you approach each sales call with a burning desire to connect and learn about the PERSON, your whole day changes. Your body language, tone of voice, and the words you use.
Be fun and funny
Everyone loves to laugh. You know what makes me sad? Laughing yoga. I love the concept, but it bothers me that people have to find a way to schedule laughter into their lives. YIKES, bud!
Find a way each day to share a laugh with people. Make jokes about situations and be witty. LIghten up on your email messages and use more human dialogue.
And when you enter a room, enter it with an amazing energy! When I go for meetings, I know the best way to start is with a big “hello!” and a warm smile. That will set the tone better than anything else. And I say, “Hey ____, it is so good to see you!” Be happy when you see people and light up that room. Read my other video post on neuro-associations where I talk about the power of this process and the impact you make in other people’s minds.
Get in the habit of being the one person that people are MOST excited to meet with.
Can you be known as the “happy one” at your local coffee shop? What would it take?
Accept your responsibilities
Over the past few years, personally, we have been going through a lot of challenges. Dealing with death, increased family responsibilities, and really some pretty serious stuff. We now take care of my girlfriend’s disabled and mentally ill Mom full-time in our home, and as a young couple, that can be pretty heavy.
I had a friend ask me a few months ago how we were managing to cope with all of the seriousness of this “stuff” and it dawned on me that my girlfriend and I were not actually concerned with all of these negative, heavy responsibilities. We were more concerned with ensuring we are growing as people. Trying to live a good life. A balanced life. All of these responsibilities are just part of our days and we make them work. We don’t even worry about the new kinds of days we have. We do what we need to get done, for ourselves, and the people we care about.
And we don’t let our struggles define us.
Even when her Dad was dying of Cancer a few years ago, we made sure that we didn’t lose sight of what really mattered. The people around us, the relationships, and making sure we were being the best versions of ourselves. We spent weeks in the hospital and it was brutal time for everyone. And it gave us an opportunity to strengthen our relationship.
It takes a lot of work and it’s not as simple as saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Each day, you need to actively practice gratitude, self-reflection, and find ways to learn and grow. So that when shit happens, you’re ready. Adversity is the key to real growth.
Everyone has responsibilities, stress, and things they need to get done. Some more serious than others. It’s always up to you to make the most of it. Don’t let the stresses of the day make you more serious. Find a way to use the challenges in your life as opportunities to learn about yourself and grow.
I hope that last part wasn’t too heavy in this post about having fun, but I always use these thoughts as reminders to myself.
- Why do we get up each morning?
- What new opportunities can we create each day?
- Who can we make an impact on?
- What can we learn today?
- How will we go out into the world and share our best energy?
- How will I make today kickass and fun?
- How will we turn every challenge into a new reality?
- Dude, it could be worse!
Make your life more fun by getting the things done you have to do and doing it with a smile. Life comes at you pretty fast. Will you treat it like a rollercoaster and enjoy the ride, or like you are falling off a cliff? You choose.
And for all those people you interact with each day, maybe THEY are dealing with something and it’s bringing them down. Can YOU be the one to turn their day around?
Make today about seeing the world for the first time with new eyes. Look around and enjoy it, damnit!
And by the way, how much do you love the picture at the top of the post? I found that on Free Images and the best part of it was it MADE ME LAUGH out loud. I was dying just to combine the title of this post with the image. So I am starting MY day with a laugh, you?
Would love to hear your comments below!
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3 replies to "Have More Fun: Stop Taking Yourself so Damn Seriously!"
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[…] small business owners, and especially in entrepreneurs. I constantly search for ways to help people just have more fun and take things a bit less […]