I love the work that I do as a coach, public speaker, trainer, facilitator, and author. It is rewarding and fulfilling. However, because I love it so much, if I allowed myself to, I could end up working very long hours. As much as I love what I do, I also recognise that I still need to have balance.
At the beginning of this year, one of the things I said to myself was that I was going to have more fun, and that is exactly what I have been doing. Including having fun last weekend with my friends and fellow business buddies Cherron Inko-Tariah MBE and Hira Ali
When Cherron, Hira, and I meet up, we tend to go somewhere nice for lunch, but this time we decided to go on our very own girls’ trip. We booked a coach trip to Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, and the White Cliffs of Dover, and it was FUN. We talked. We listened. We laughed. We enjoyed ourselves.
As leaders, it can be easy to get so caught up with your busy schedule that you do not make the time to have fun. Or you may think that the more senior you get, fun has no part to play in your life now that you are such a busy leader. But having fun should be a part of your life and there are many benefits to be gained from it.
Children have a natural tendency to play and have fun. This is a vital part of their learning and development. Play is beneficial for their mental, physical, emotional, and social well-being. It helps them to develop confidence, tap into their creativity, learn about the world and others, and much more.
Then as we grow, many people give less emphasis to having fun and let the day-to-day pressures and responsibilities take over. They forget to play and have fun. But just as children benefit from playing and having fun, so do you and here are 5 benefits you can get from having fun:
Reduced stress: Playing and having fun is a great stress reliever. It helps you to unwind and relax and can improve your overall mood and lower stress levels.
Creativity and imagination: Playing and having fun enables you to tap into your creativity and to use your imagination. This can help with innovation and problem solving. You may even find that tackling a problem after having had fun helps you to approach it with a fresh perspective and make it easier to be solution focused.
Physical health: Doing something fun that involves physical activities can be beneficial to your physical health. Whether you put on some music and dance around your living room, or you take part in a sports game with other people, play that involves physical activities are good for your physical health.
Social connection: Interacting with others and having fun helps you to feel socially connected. We are social beings and despite what some people may think, even introverts want social connection. Feeling socially connected has many positive benefits to our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and it also helps us to feel like we belong.
Balance: Playing and having fun helps provide a healthy balance between your work life and personal life. Doing this can improve your performance and productivity at work, and help prevent stress and burnout.
There is a lot of truth in the old saying ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. But not only does it make Jack a dull boy, there are negative implications for your overall well-being as well, so make playing and having fun part of your routine.
How do you make sure that you make time to have fun and play? If you don’t, what can you do differently so that you do?