It’s such a simple question that it causes people to get a blank look in their eyes.
A few years ago, I visited friends who lived and worked on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Yes, people live there – thousands of them. The drive into town is too far to commute – but that was okay with my friends. They had recently switched careers, packed up, and moved to become Park Rangers. They were right where they wanted to be.
It was late in the day when we settled into the guest room of their home and headed to the dinner table. I had been driving all day and was feeling a little fidgety.
“So, what do you guys do for fun around here?”
He looked at me like the fast-paced city slicker I was and said,
“I’ve been having fun all day – even at work.”
I didn’t get it – yet.
It turns out that his life change taught him that having fun is a sneaky little thing. Fun likes to show up when you are not paying attention and in the moment, whether wasting time or working.
In my career, I’ve asked people what they do for fun many times –
They are either in a materialistic chase for something our society has told us is fun.
Or…
They have forgotten that what they do naturally when they are not paying attention, can be more satisfying than they think.
And, there it is.
When you stop looking down the road for fun that you think will be more fun, you’ll realize that you are already having a good time.
No chasing required.