An insight into experiencing true fun

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Probably the most popular question of my childhood. I always answered with wanting to be a singer or a dolphin trainer – maybe (if lucky) a celebrity interviewer. None of these came from a very financially sound or thoughtful place, but these were the professions that sounded extremely fun to me. Playing with dolphins all day? And dancing and singing on stage? Sign me up! But somewhere amidst growing up, financially sound ideas were necessary and like many adult decisions they weighed heavily. Along the way, I forgot how to have fun and how to mindfully add fun into my life.

When was the last time you really thought from a place of fun? Or really prioritized fun? I asked myself these questions after stumbling upon a TedTalk podcast one morning. The title was “3 elements of true fun and how to have more of it.” And at first I didn’t really think much of it. I was convinced that I knew how to have fun or scheduled in a decent amount of fun things in my life to feel that sense of fulfillment. It wasn’t until one spontaneous night of playing childhood games with friends in the middle of a park that I truly realised how much fun I had been missing from my day-to-day life.

In this Ted Talk (see below), Catherine Price describes fun as a feeling and not an activity. Contrary to what we all tend to do, she suggests that we cannot just pick a conventional “fun” activity and instantaneously feel like we’re having fun. Just like how many of us can’t just feel like we’re experiencing fun just by being at an arcade or a bowling alley. To engage in true fun, she suggests that there are three main factors to consider:

  1. Playfulness
  2. Connection (a shared experience)
  3. Flow

To connect with playfulness, we need to stop caring about the outcome and let go of perfectionism. In our day-to-day work and hustle culture, it can be hard to release ourselves from the grasp of completing tasks or reaching goals. But the good thing about creating fun is that we can just have fun without doing it perfectly or achieving a goal. Next time you’re trying to make your bed perfectly or cook ‘perfectly’ – try to let go of the ideals and really relish the moment and have some fun with it!

And of course, all fun experiences are better shared with others. This definitely doesn’t mean you cannot have fun on your own (there is absolutely a big world out there for existing individually – for example just dancing around goofily in you room), but in our very individualistic world it can be good to reach out to your community of friends and family to engage in shared experiences. This can be simple, like cooking with friends or having a homemade karaoke night, I suggest checking out some of the new trends on Youtube or TikTok for some inspiration!

Finally, the state of flow is an important aspect of experiencing fun. A state of flow is often described as losing track of time or being completely in the zone. I realised recently that a state of flow for me was very similar to playing hide and seek with your friends with never ending rounds. Then realising suddenly, it is already the dreaded time for you to head back home. Time flies when you’re having fun! And that saying could not be truer. When we experience being in the zone and truly present, we really can engage in the moment and feel the joy that fun has to offer.

Most importantly, you should definitely prioritise fun but it is not something you can put in the calendar and make sure that at 8:00pm you will definitely be having fun. And that is the beauty of it! To really be present and to let our inner child rule the world at times – maybe I could try and go play with some dolphins sometime! Finding what helps you experience the feeling of fun can be so refreshing and can really fill up your adult sized cup. I encourage you to mindfully think of ways you can add fun to your day-to-day. A small way that I started was adding some fun skips while taking my walks outside, surprisingly it really adds a lighthearted and fun feeling to my day!

To find out more, check out the TedTalk: Catherine Price: Why having fun is the secret to a healthier life | TED Talk

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