Find Your Fun

A few weeks ago my wife ran the Warrior Dash in the Poconos.  Warrior Dash is the world’s largest obstacle race series, held on the most rugged terrain in more than 50 locations across the globe. Participants earn their Warrior helmet by tackling a fierce 3-4 mile course and 12 extreme obstacles. After conquering the Battleground, Warriors celebrate with turkey legs, beer steins and live music at a post-race party in a league of its own.  Amy finished by crawling in 2 feet of pure mud– forced on hands and knees because of barbed wire under which you must crawl.  You cannot come out without being completely covered in mud.  And she was.

It’s likely many of you reading this have finished a mud run like the Warrior Dash.  And I congratulate you.  But very few, I suspect, share Amy’s perspective.  She hates to be cold, wet and dirty. She also hates to run. She does love FUN, though, and, for her, FUN trumps all.  
 

How important is fun?  What value does fun bring to your work and home environment?  How much do you strive to bring fun in your daily experiences?     
 

Rather than constantly striving for productivity, efficiency, respect and leadership, perhaps by focusing on a little more fun and engagement, all those other things will follow.  The “best” places to work are usually the most fun places to work.  
 

When we’re relaxed, appreciated and smiling – having fun – we tend to be far more engaged.  Engaged employees, engaged teens, engaged spouses, engaged membership, and engaged church goers are the most informed, contributing and joyful.  Fun is one of the most important catalysts for engaging those around us.    
 

By the way, I thought it would be fun to have Amy’s Warrior Dash photo for this article.  Amy didn’t. 
 

Go find your fun.