Keep things fun! | FOW #10

The problems that face us day to day at work are small compared to the challenges facing most of the world. Keep your perspective and don’t take things personally or yourself too seriously. Laugh every day with others.

Being a naturally stoic person, this is without a doubt my favorite and most challenging of all the fundamentals.Giving myself permission to bring a lighter energy to work and to life is not in my default zone, so this is always a great reminder to relax and have some fun.The wording above implies that most of our problems are relatively small. Even though some of us are dealing with some serious issues, most of us have more to be grateful for than upset by.Most of my waking hours seem to be about getting things done, and “fun” is usually an afterthought or something to be earned after being productive. This fundamental reminds me I can integrate fun into whatever it is I’m doing.Another one of our fundamentals is Continuously Seek to Improve the Impact We Make, and consistent with that I attended a training last week.For four days I was in a room with other, experienced trainers getting trained on new distinctions and techniques.Knowing it’s natural for me to feel the most pressure and judgment around my peers I noticed the pressure coming on during the training. I quickly remembered this week’s fundamental and started to have fun!What triggered it was one of the other trainers had the loudest laugh I’ve ever heard, and it seemed to shockingly come out of nowhere. Whenever he laughed, everyone in the room laughed and the spell of seriousness was broken.I’m quite grateful for this fundamental because for me it puts the important things in my life in the proper perspective. Being a husband and a dad is really what it’s all about.So …In the spirit of family, fun and laughing everyday …I’ll close with a Dad Joke: Q: What did the buffalo say to his son when he left for college?A: Bison.-Brett Morris