Rules for Intrepid Living: Rule #65.

Rule #65: Have fun

Are you having a good time?

I know, you have a to do list, you’ve got to stay committed if you want to achieve your goals, and those bills ain’t gonna pay themselves. But still, I really want to know- are you having fun?

If your answer is no, there’s a problem. Listen, I’m an emotional human who, like all people, experiences feelings like sadness and anger, so I get that not every single moment in your life can be a good time. That’s all part of life. But what’s the point if you’re not having fun? What’s money worth if you’re not enjoying it? What’s achieving your goals good for if you don’t like what you’re doing? What good is winning a medal if you hated running the race?

Have fun, everybody.

There are a lot of elements to success. Determination, hard work, discipline, grit… But I think fun is also a huge part of success. If you do things that you enjoy, you’ll suffer through the hard days to keep doing the fun parts. If you don’t love something, it’s going to be pretty hard to commit to doing it day in and day out. If you’re not having fun, it’s really hard to sustain long term efforts.

You can say that you want to win a marathon, but if you don’t like to run, how realistic of a goal is it? You can force yourself to run three times a week, but that’s not really sustainable if you hate devoting that time. It’s different if you’re having fun though. If you look forward to the time you spend running, it won’t be difficult to stick with it. You’ll still have have hard days; moments where you don’t want to lace up your shoes, or put on your rain jacket, but it’s much easier to endure hard times when you’re doing something that you love.

I know this sounds redundant and silly, but it’s fun to have fun! It’s not fun to not have fun. So why aren’t you having fun?

Because you have to be at work?

Because exercise is hard?

Because you don’t have much money?

Sorry friend, I’m going to have to play bad cop and tell you that these are excuses. Fun is bound mostly to your attitude, not to your situation.

Most of us have to work. Ask yourself, why aren’t you having fun while you’re working? Is your boss really so vile that you can’t enjoy yourself a little? Are your co-workers that bad that you can’t have a nice chat with them during your break? Is your place of employment so restrictive that you can’t have any fun at all while you’re there? For most of us working stiffs, our jobs aren’t that bad. They may not be meaningful, exciting, or super fun in and of themselves, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while we’re doing them. I have stressful days at work, like everybody else, but I have fun at work every single day. I’ve worked all kinds of jobs from teaching college courses, to shoveling shit. I’ve had fun at every single one of them.

Working out at Plan for Adventure is the most challenging physical training I’ve ever done. It’s also the fitness regimen I’ve ever stuck with. Of course it’s hard, that’s how you improve! But I don’t dread going, I look forward to it! Sometimes I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck at the end of the work-out, but I always have fun while I’m there. I’m surrounded by awesome people doing awesome things, laughing about our sweat, pain, and desire to black out. Working out should be hard, but it should also be fun. If you don’t like what you’re doing now for exercise, if it bores you, I suggest trying something different. If you always dread going for a run or lifting weights, maybe you should think about trying something else, like yoga, hiking, or bodyweight exercises. Join an intramural sports team, or join a club. Have fun.

Lack of money is, in my opinion, one of the worst excuses for not having fun. Guess what? There are tons of things that you can do that are inexpensive or free! Have you been to the library? Have you been to the park? Have you visited nearby trails? Have you searched for free events in your area? You know what I always say, you’re not bored, you’re boring.

So are you going to be the person who spends all their time bored and miserable, dreads getting out of bed in the morning, and spends their year waiting for their one week of vacation? Or are you going to be the bad ass who finds something good in every day, enjoys their life despite the ups and downs, and makes sure that they always have fun?

Be the second person. Have fun.

“Rules for Intrepid Living” is a recurring post suggesting how we may live more adventurous lives.