How to Have More Fun More Often!

Fun is not universal.

That may be common knowledge, but it is something I learned not long ago. After I got sober, fun was one of the many parts of my life I had to reexamine. It was one of the most surprising parts of my life I had to reexamine. 

It never occurred to me that fun is a conscious choice just like every other area we talk about in here. There are no objective fun activities.

I think reading about spiritual growth and self-development is super fun, but others I know think I'm "working all the time." To be fair, that is part of my work - but to be doubly fair, I also have a lot of fun doing it.

I know many people who think fun starts only after a certain amount of alcohol has been imbibed; clearly that isn't my jam.

Some people find fun at amusement parks, others at museums.

Some folks like to be around other folks for fun while many individuals like to experience fun individually. 

I have fun writing this blog, and I hope you have fun reading it. 
You get the idea. 

Fun is unique to each of us, and it is an awesome area to grow conscious awareness. 

Have you ever stopped to think about your fun? To examine it? To pause and ask yourself, "is this actually fun for me?" The worst thing we can do in this and any area is sleepily settle for what is given to us. 

When I stopped to really think about the "fun" activities I was participating in, I discovered that I didn't find all of them to be all that fun. I had just been doing them because it's what others were doing, it's what had always been done, and it was considered to be Fun, capital F, as if there was only one. 

So, here's how to have more fun more often:

Step 1: Explore the fun you engage in.

Bring intentional awareness to your fun activities so you can consciously decide what is fun for you.

When I learned that my "fun" wasn't all that fun for me, I was gifted with an amazing opportunity. It was now up to me to get out there and figure out what my fun was! As I'm sure you can guess, this was a whole lot of fun. I tried out new activities, joined different groups, went to new places and met some awesome new people. It was one of the coolest ways I've gotten to explore my self.

So Step 2: Try new types of fun to discover what fun is for you!

It is certainly possible that your current fun will remain your fun, but why limit yourself? Get out there and see what else you enjoy!

This brought me to the toughest part of this adventure. Once I discovered what my fun was, I had to learn to accept that my fun may not match everyone else's fun. This may sound silly, but you know folks can be awfully opinionated about any/all subjects, and fun is exception.

When I accepted that reading alone on the patio is my fun, I was called boring and accused of isolating.

When I accepted that public speaking is my fun, I was called "crazy".

When I accepted that hitting the dance floor whether others are on it or not is fun, I was laughed at. 

So Step 3: Love yourself even if others don't understand you or agree with you. 

It is tough to dance to your own rhythm, especially if that rhythm is in your head and no one else can hear it. Yes, it gets easier to go against the grain the more I do it, but I still experience that twinge of hurt that arises from being outside the pack. 

But in reality, joke's on them because I am having fun - consciously chosen, intentionally initiated, awarely accepted FUN! 

Have you explored your fun lately? I'd love to hear about your fun and how you discovered it!