7 Ways to Make your Life more Fun, Seriously

Are you a “glass half full or a glass half empty” type of person? Our mindset is quite often directly linked to the levels of satisfaction we experience and the quality of our lives. In other words if you believe life is good, it will prove you right most of the time. The opposite is also true.

The mental lens through which you observe reality is incredibly powerful. Some of us only get by and some always seem to be making the most of their earthly experience. How come? Could we all enjoy life more, make it easier for ourselves and have more fun every day? We can certainly try. And it’s not about going to more parties or traveling to Las Vegas in search of fun. It’s about improving our daily existence and opening up to more joy every day. It’s about any activity we can develop into a habit that can make us happier, calmer, more positive and optimistic.

1. Turn off your autopilot – I know you know your life and you show up for it. You know what it’s about and what requires your attention. So you do what you need to do, right? But consider this – what if this life could be way more fun, way more enjoyable and still felt like truly yours… It’s in your power to shape it but it will take awareness and a true will to change. You’re not at mercy of circumstances. If you are to feel better you have to do better. You don’t want days to just pass you by. Turn off your autopilot, turn on attention. There are ways to make your life more fun, seriously.
2. Stop considering enjoyable life as a luxury – just as with relaxation, rest, sleep, time with your loved ones, holiday, time outside for exercise, a life that you can enjoy living, is not a luxury. Glorification of busy makes those of us who are in search of more meaningful activities, sound as we have nothing else to do. If you’re with me on this one, I’m glad. I really need proper sleep sometimes and it feels like a basic human need, not a treat. Let’s state it right at the beginning. Absolutely everyone can have life that’s more enjoyable and way more fun. Look closer at your daily habits and be honest with yourself. Discover how you operate and what impacts your levels of energy at different times of day. Create a clear overview of the entire week and based on that start making changes.
3. Focus – we wrote about it before. It’s simple – have a goal so that you can truly focus. I found this to be a remedy to majority of our productivity and personal effectiveness challenges including negative self talk, distractions, smart phones, lack of motivation or even “lazy”. Most of these can be tackled by a simple mental reminder – FOCUS! Identify a goal in life or even a few and aim your efforts towards that. Maybe get a coach to ensure that your goal is correctly stated (yes, there is a bit of science to that), specific and exciting. Whenever your attention goes elsewhere, refocus and watch your objective become reality despite all the “shiny objects” around you.
4. Focus only on what is truly your responsibility – “Step away people, I’m the only person who can do it right!”. No! And if you think about it and become very honest with yourself, you will quickly discover that putting yourself first sometimes means letting others do their thing. No, you don’t have superpowers, no, you can’t do everything and you can’t do everything for everyone. You shouldn’t even try. Honestly, what does it give you? A sense of importance, being needed or “being the best”? Sometime we overstep the fine line between what we are asked to do or help with and “I am the only person who can do it right”. Being constantly available and constantly “on” comes with a price. If you are to have more fun in life, you have to let others do their job. Take responsibility only for what you are truly responsible for and give others a chance to show up or even permission to make a mistake.
5. Surround yourself with the right type of people – it’s been already said so many times and the importance of being in the right company keeps coming back, as one of the most significant components of a more enjoyable life. Have you noticed that as we go through life people come and go? This is because we change, others change and life changes. Just as with everything else, we can choose those we want to spend time with. We not only can but should. Today when we all would love to have more hours in a day, valuing your time and energy is the best strategy. Choose your company wisely. Surround yourself with positive, optimistic and motivated people. You don’t have time for anything less that that. Introducing more fun into your life will require the right crowd.
6. Create opportunities where they don’t initially exist – I have a habit of talking to shop assistants. It could be at the cash desk in Boots or a waiter in a restaurant. It may not sound like a big deal but a good laugh and a friendly chat can go a very long way. Most of the time these days, we are quickly in and out of the shop but years in retail have taught me that a truly engaged, positive and smiling customers make the service person’s day just a bit more enjoyable. Can I offer that? Absolutely and if it’s sometimes followed by a generous discount at the till – Hey, that’s a win-win, right? Ask, enquire, be persistent, keep trying, explain your reasons, find out what’s possible, don’t give up, keep options open, don’t take no for an answer, expect the best and accept only the best. Just talk to people and see what happens. Get ready to be surprised.
7. For heaven’s sake – Give yourself a break! – during the last Time vs Energy Management workshop I asked attendees to think and identify specifically what they wanted to walk away with at the end of the evening. One person said “I want to be like everybody else – productive and efficient.” Surrounded by others with a pretty similar objective he soon realised that his view of others is not necessarily accurate and view of self not very fair. We’re all the same. Those with seemingly “easier and better lives” are often just like us or simply just have a different outlook. So their life isn’t different, their mindset is. We share similar challenges, experience similar ups and downs and we can most definitely share more fun together. Give yourself a break.