“Having Fun, We Get More Work Done.”
As 2021 continues to move along, we all look forward to life getting back to as close to normal as possible. Of course, we still have restrictions throughout the world on where we can go or how many people can be together at the same place, but most of us believe we have been through the toughest of those times, and things can only get better from here.
When we talk about the core value, “Having fun, we get more work done,” we usually have explained it the same way every time. We typically urge others to try to have fun or make the best out of the situation throughout their day. No matter what you do for a living or what situation or environment you find yourself in, you can still control that environment’s energy by trying to have as much fun as possible because, after all, life is short.
Today I wanted to speak about this core value a little bit differently. I think for some, it is hard to control where we ultimately end up working in life. Many people in the world find themselves doing a job every day that they do not like. There have been countless surveys across the globe, and when people are asked if they enjoy what they are doing for a living, usually more than 70% say no. This means 70% of people are not having any fun and that, of course, is sad.
One thing that is seldom talked about that I believe helps that 70% keep going is the possibility of fun in the future. I’m trying to say here that I think many people go about doing something they don’t enjoy doing Monday through Friday because they know that they have something to look forward to, at least on the weekend. It could be going to a restaurant with friends or going to a movie theater with their family. Others may find comfort in knowing they have a concert or a sporting event coming up that they know they will enjoy. Many of those things were temporarily taken away from us in 2020, affecting us mentally for sure.
Some people even plan a trip for several months in the future, which helps them continue to do something they may not fully enjoy because they know that there is fun coming in the future on their trip and keeps them going.
As we reflect on 2020, this was one of the essential things that we all struggled with. Businesses were shut down, and travel was severely restricted, so there were very few things to look forward to for the 70% of people who didn’t enjoy their day-to-day life at their job. Most of the things we were used to doing for fun were temporarily taken away from us, and because of that, most of the world was not in a slight depression but instead found themselves in a major one!
I believe that most people gave up and did not think of new and different opportunities to go out and have fun. Some people were going for walks or bike rides. Others chose to play board games with their immediate family and have other fun activities. Some decided that they would start streaming movies in their home and have family movie nights. Friends starting the meeting on zoom for virtual parties, and some people came up with creative ways to celebrate birthdays and graduations by doing “drive-by” celebrations.
People who enjoyed going out to eat with friends and family came up with creative ways to have barbecues and whatever else they could think of to have something to look forward to. I think the ones that looked at the situation and realized that they were going to have to get creative to have fun did much better throughout the year. They are staying relatively happy and healthy as opposed to the majority of people who found themselves in a deep depression because they kept on focusing on everything they weren’t allowed to do instead of trying to think of ideas for things that they could do.
My major point is just reminding everybody that sometimes in life, there are things we can’t control. Occasionally, we can’t control situations, or we have very little control over them. Still, I know we can always maintain our attitude, and sometimes our philosophy is what makes all the difference. Not just today, but even when we find challenges in our day-to-day life or in whatever environment we find ourselves in.
Your attitude is everything, and if you remember always to look for opportunities to have fun and always look to plan some fun stuff in the future that you can look forward to, then I promise you 2021 and all the years of your life will be filled with joy and happiness. There still will be some things that you can’t control, but your energy and attitude during those times or in those environments you can!
In closing, I also think that finding opportunities to be together with other people who have a great attitude and enjoy having fun is an excellent plan as we continue into 2021, even if that means doing it virtually. I genuinely believe we were engineered as human beings to need each other, help each other, communicate with each other, and support each other. I also believe that we were engineered to stay healthier by having fun.
I am by no means a doctor, but I’m relatively sure that smiling, laughing, and having fun is one of the best ways to impact your health positively. I will continue to do my part and help control my environment’s attitude whenever I’m in a room or part of something. We all need to do this together; brighter days are ahead. Every single day when we wake up, we are blessed with one more day on this planet. We should all approach that day as if it could be our last and try to have as much fun as possible.
At TLC, “Having fun, we get more work done” is not just a core value. It’s a way of life. We live, laugh, and have as much fun as possible every day because we know the alternative is not very fun at all, and none of us want that.
As you go about your daily and weekly routines in the next week, I challenge you to reflect on how you can possibly have more fun daily and how you can plan something to look forward to in the future.
Your attitude is your life; you might as well have a fun one!
Thank you for reading, and have fun this week!
