Make It Fun

Last night we did Day 1 of Three Good Things. Two adults, a teenager, and a 5 year old – naturally this meant there were varying levels of interest and comprehension. David and I could have written and talked all night long, our teen participated begrudgingly (his favorite words these days are “no” or any word with an “n’t” contraction at the end – hardly conducive to considering three GOOD things), and our 5 year old made it fun and colorful, choosing to participate in her own way. New family challenges like this are almost always messy to start, but my youngest reminded us that the best way emerges when we make it fun.

Willa’s Three Good Things turned into Three Glorious Stories.

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Kids are the best teachers.

Kids may be young and naive, but they are often the best teachers, reminding us of who we are deep down. Yes, they learn necessary skills as they grow up – language, potty training, how to ride a bike, social skills, etc. But some things get squashed that we might want to consider unsquashing – open self-expression, fluidity and ease with friends, and making things fun.

Making things fun may be the most important piece we lose, especially when it comes to embracing new behaviors, habits, and goals.

Think about it.

Think of a time that you were successful with a goal. Was the journey to success fun? If not, would it have been better/easier/more enjoyable if it were?

As adults, we tend to adopt a seriousness with our goals which then trickles down into the behaviors and habits needed to achieve the goal.

Example

“I’m going to run a marathon. Therefore, I’m going to follow this training plan, to a T, making myself get up at 5am, no excuses, I mean it. I’m taking the goal seriously, therefore the daily work will be serious, too.”

How long until it becomes a slog? Maybe you tough it out because you really want to achieve the goal, but how was the journey? Did you do your absolute best? Did you enjoy it? Was it fun?

Mary Poppins

What if the serious goal remained but they journey were filled with fun? What if the training was on point but also had elements of fun thrown in? Train with a group. Have a favorite food that you only get to eat after training runs. Swap your shoelaces out for sparkle laces. Wear rainbow socks that make you smile.

Watch kids. When we ask them to do something, a chore for example, they won’t do it unless it is fun. When we turn it into a race or silly contest of some sort, they take off and it works like magic! Put away toys? UGH! Sprinkle a little glitter on and see who can get it done first? Let’s go!

My Elements of Fun

People often ask me how I’m able to achieve so many personal goals. People wonder how I work through my protracted years of surgeries and recoveries with seeming ease. My answer has typically been “I don’t know, I just do it.” Truly, I did not feel that I had a secret sauce, or some sort of genetic advantage, I just set my goals, make a plan, and execute.

I love it.

It is FUN! <— FUN!

There it is! I finally have my answer. Setting and achieving goals and the journey along the way is fun for me! Even the “holy cow, how is surgery and recovery fun?!?” stuff.

Bodybuilding Fun

Bodybuilding is a 24/7 sport. Compared to ultrarunning, the workouts are short, but the attention to food and recovery is 24/7. Adopting the required mindset to succeed could become super serious and rigid, but instead I’m making it fun. I laugh at myself along the way a lot. I wear funny socks to the gym. Posing practice is filled with fun and silliness, making it much easier for me to let loose and learn to move. I save my favorite playlists and podcasts for listening to during my workouts. And my very favorite waffles meal has to be earned – workout first.

Gamification

Right now I’m reading How To Change by Katy Milkman. She devotes an entire chapter to the concept of making new habits and goals fun in order to have the best chances for success, offering it as the foundation for success. One of the concepts she discusses is gamification of goals and how these are huge motivators for those who buy into the game. Think badges, gold stars, streaks, and leaderboards. These are all over the place these days – Apple Watch, Peloton, Duolingo, Headspace, (insert almost any app here that wants you to buy into their app). This is also a feature of live workouts like Orange Theory and Peloton with their leaderboards – participants are found to push themselves harder when there is competition, and they report having more fun along the way. Do these dangling carrots work for you? Are they fun? If so, run with them! If not, forget about them and create your own version of fun!

Above all…

Make It Fun

Fun = Easier Success

Making it fun applies to all challenges. Take stock of your current goals and the behaviors and habits that support them. Take a close look at the journeys. Are they fun? If not, what can you change about them to make them fun? Where can you add a spoonful of sugar? I want to hear about how your add fun to your goals, behaviors, and habits!

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