Are we having fun yet?

With all the misery we’re experiencing from the frequent CUC power outages, we thought it would be good to try and find the silver lining behind the dark clouds of despair. Yes, there is actually some good that can come from the rolling blackouts, if you look hard enough.

When the power goes out, we have tried to use the time to interact more with our family members by going out to shop, playing volley ball, going to the park, or walking on the pathway. It’s also a good time to catch up on your reading, make some calls, or go out to eat at a restaurant with a generator.

As an entrepreneur, you need to find time to put more fun into your life. A core problem for a lot of businesspeople is that they fail to schedule fun into their day. Fun breaks can actually help you become more productive by reducing stress and avoiding burnout. In addition, some of your best ideas may come to you when you are away from the computer or doing something not related to work.

Think of all the things you really enjoy. Challenge yourself by writing 1 to 20, and listing at least 20 fun things you enjoy doing. If you accept the challenge, this may be tougher than you expect, but even if you can only list 5 things, you will have a list you can work with.

You may even want to have a few of your friends, or your spouse and children make their list and then share them with each other. You’ll discover some interesting things about the other individuals and you may want to schedule time to try some of the things on each other’s list. To help you out, here is a list of some things that others have placed on their list. Feel free to adapt or adopt them if you think they sound fun.

* Being artistic or creative with something, even if it doesn’t make money.

* Fixing or building something with your hands.

* Design your ideal home or come up with the criteria for your ideal business.

* Learn a new hobby or skill that you’ve always wanted to learn, and then teach it to someone else.

* Getting to know fascinating people who have a strong vision for their future.

* Brainstorming great ideas with friends or entrepreneurs with like interests.

* Singing as loud as you can, even though you may not do it well.

* Volunteering your time to work with some great people for a good cause.

* Traveling to a new place or hiking through the jungle.

* Taking 15 minutes a day to be alone so you can reflect on your thoughts or feel gratitude for your life.

* Make a new friend each day.

* Accomplishing something that “can’t be done” or that you have always feared doing.

* Spending several hours playing your favorite sport with some good friends.

* Renting Harley-Davidson motorcycles with some friends and cruising around for the whole day.

There are many more things you can add to your list, and hopefully the above list has got you thinking. Typically, the things on your list will fall under one of these categories: your children, spouse, or significant other; your dreams or aspirations; your education, training, or teaching or mentoring others; your health; doing something you love; or a worthy cause.

After you make the list, the next question is how many of the things you listed have you made time to do in the last 6 months? If you’ve done most of the things on your list, then congratulations. However, if you have only done a few of them, then it’s time for you to commit to adding fun activities to each day.

Here are three more things you can do to ensure that you make time for fun: 1) Review your list and choose something you would like to do today, or a few things you would like to do within a week; 2) schedule the activities in your calendar by stating the date and time you plan to do them; 3) coordinate the activities with someone special, people you like to hang out with, or some people you would like to get to know better. Scheduling it with other people ensures that you’ll keep your commitment to do the fun things.

By making the time to have fun each day, you’ll be more successful. Everyone needs a “breather” in their schedule – something fun they look forward to. It will help make you a much more productive, lively and a more enjoyable person to be around. Are you having fun yet?

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