Summer Fun Week 6 - Freedom!

Time to read: 36 seconds

It's Week 6 and time for Tip #2.

In honor of the 4th of July holiday in the US, today's tip is about freedom.

I'm a big fan of freedom…to live according to your values and preferences, enjoy the things you enjoy, and choose what makes sense for you and your life. Freedom leads to happiness.

Freedom comes with ownership and self-management, meaning you get to make choices, and you own those choices. You own the consequences and outcomes of your choices. You own your successes and joys and the responsibility to clean up your messes.

Freedom also means tempering yourself and behaving responsibly toward others. The fact that we live in a world filled with other people who also want their freedom can be super annoying.

Today's tip for fun and joy: Consider what it means for you to be free, and to let others be free, too.

For those of you in the US, I hope your 4th of July is filled with delicious grilled food, family, friends, and fireworks.

If you know people who want to have more fun, they can join us here.

Summer Fun Week 5 - Practical Tips For More Fun

Time to read: 36 seconds

The charm bracelet I made to commemorate our recent trip to Japan!

Welcome to Week 5!

I want to give you a few practical tips and strategies for increasing fun in your life.

Tip #1: Look for tiny bits of joy and fun.

This is a practice to train your brain to see and experience the fun and joy. Notice the beautiful bird sounds on your walk. Linger for a second longer on a flower. Notice when people are smiling or laugh two seconds longer. Ooo and ahh over a cool car or a cute baby or a beautiful tomato.

Nothing is too small, and nothing is off limits. You love the things you love, and your interests are different from other people.

For example, I'm into charm bracelets. Like really into them. And many people think they are too jangly and annoying. We get to be different.

Spend your weekend noticing things that bring you joy and feel fun.

Happy practicing!

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Summer Fun Week 4 - Be an inspiration!

Time to read: 15 seconds

I made this bracelet for a new friend in Japan.

Welcome to Week 4!

It's another short one because I want you to have lots of time for fun!

When you have more fun, people will see you having more fun, and they will be inspired to have more fun, too. (There are a few people who will be crabby about it, and that's a them problem. Tell them to call me.)

Imagine the exponential impact when you have fun expands to the people in your life and then the people in their lives and on and on and on.

Then imagine what becomes possible for your community, city, state, nation, the planet when people approach each other and the activities of daily living as if it's fun.

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Summer Fun Week 3 - Fun Is Your purpose!

Time to read: 15 seconds

Our new puppy! The definition of fun!

Welcome to Week 3. So fun!

Today is short.

Fun is one of your life's purposes. You were not put on this earth only to strive, struggle, prove, earn, and work. (Although work and achievement can be fun, like really fun.)

You were put on this earth to enjoy your life. To appreciate beauty. To experience pleasure and joy. To feel great.

Ponder that idea. Fun isn't a luxury. It's actually part of your purpose.

I'm curious what that idea opens up for you? Please email me and tell me your thoughts.

I love to hear from you!

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Summer Fun Week 2 -Use This Simple Trick

Time to read: 35 seconds

Gorgeous 1960s vintage! So fun!

It's week 2 of fun, pleasure, and ease. Ahhh…summer!

When there is conflict or you want something and feel like you are not getting it, often the issue is your focus, not the thing.

Here's a concept: Focus on the function, not the form.

In last week's vacation example, the form was beach or mountains. When the form is the focus, there's irreconcilable conflict. Instead, look for the function…spending time together or physical activity or going off the grid for two weeks to recharge. When you shift your focus to the function, infinite possibilities open for the form.

I love examples, so let's play with a work-related one. You want a promotion, and it hasn't happened. The promotion is the form and keeps your lens on one narrow option. When you shift your focus to the function of what you want in the promotion…like more responsibility, supervising and mentoring employees, or a more strategic role, you have lots of ways to create those experiences both at work and outside work.

To have more fun, look to satisfy the function you want, rather than focus narrowly on the form. More possibilities = more fun.

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Summer Fun! Day 1

Time to read: 1 minute 5 seconds

Easy = using photos I already have. Hard = trying to find the right "fit" whatever that means

It's almost summer!

For the next 10 weeks, I want to focus on fun, pleasure, and enjoyment. Winter has those things too (if you like skiing and ice-fishing), and summer is all about play and fun.

Let's start with this: Make things easy.

I know that many of you know how to make things harder than they need to be. I know because that used to be me and many of my clients do it, too.

There is no reward for finding the hardest way through something. Let's take writing this newsletter as an example.

Hard = thinking of something new to say every week. Easy = creating a theme and letting my brain get creative on one idea.

Let's look at a work example:

Hard = hating on and resisting your new VP's leadership. Easy (or at least easier) = accepting the VP is the way they are, leaving you free to choose to work with their style or leave. (I realize working for someone you don't jive with is a challenge, as is leaving your job. You can make things much easier by dropping the resistance.)

And a personal example:

You want to vacation in the mountains. Your family wants the beach. Hard = arguing about it and someone becoming resentful on vacation. Easy = choose to value the family time and just go to the beach and enjoy yourself. Beach/mountains? Doesn't matter.

I'll talk about how to get to what matters next week.

Here's to your fun summer!

P.P.S. If you love this newsletter, please share it with your colleagues. They can sign up here.

Living With Chaos: Who Are You?

Time to read: 24 seconds

More carnival glass!

Welcome to week 10 of Living with Chaos. Our final week! It's been fun romping through chaos with you. The romping is fun. The chaos, not fun.

Chaos shows you who you are. If you love the way you show up when stuff gets real, great. Keep going. If you don't, think about who you want to be and how to get there.

Maybe you hide. Or flail about like a headless chicken. Or become hard and controlling. All of these seem like natural responses to chaos. Without judgment, ask yourself: Is the way I am responding useful? to me? to others? to the situation?

If it's not, time to do some work. Nothing like chaos to show you who you really are.

If you have unanswered questions about living with chaos, I always love to hear from you. Email me. I enjoy a good challenge and will gladly turn your questions into future newsletters.

Thanks for being part of this merry little band of corporate rebels.

P.P.S. If you love this newsletter, please share it with your colleagues. They can sign up here.