Are we having fun yet? Damn-Skippy!

A business has to be involving, it has to be fun and it has to exercise your creative instincts.
Richard Branson

​It's Sunday morning; I'm up early, Sheila's still asleep, and I was having a hard time coming up with a topic for today's Reflections. Most of the time, when I'm stuck, I start thinking about things that happened over the past week, and *poof* there it was - the week was FUN!

I've written a lot about how "fun" is too often lost in business today. It gets buried under the stress of the day-in-day-out challenges. We all wear too many hats, and in the process of trying not to waste time, we lose focus on our priorities to put our hearts first.

As I look back on this past week, it was FUN - not easy and not without a few tears here and there but overall a great week. As I've gotten older, I tend to look at those moments of sadness as speed bumps. They're there to remind me of the incredible foundation Sheila, my friends and experiences bring to my life, making me smile every day. 

For example, this month would be my Dad's 97th birthday, and I miss him a lot. I miss my kids, who sadly aren't in my life anymore. I miss Molly the Wonder Dog and tear up every time Pinterest sends me a page of poems about losing a pet - yet, I can't bring myself to shut off the feed. The list goes on and on, but at the same time, there was plenty to smile about.

I'm having a blast working with the Platypod team. Suzette Allen and Jonny have our driveway down as a stop on The Bubble Trailer Light Tour and will be here in less than two weeks. Matthew Jordan Smith, living in Japan, and I caught up a call that was purely social. I got to know Steve Brazill a little better this week on an episode of "Why?" - It's the start of a great friendship. My buddy Bob Thompson is finally going to come for a visit. PhotoTexting.com got their new website launched and with it their Senior Rep Program. The tree guy took me up in the cherry-picker for an aerial shot. And, the "Skip" bobblehead I ordered to make Sheila laugh finally arrived.

This past week was one of the hardest I can remember. There was never enough time to get everything I wanted to finish done. But, like listening to the judges on "Chopped," the week was layered with flavors creating an exhausting but almost perfect week. It was simply FUN!

And there it is - my point. If the speed bumps of frustration, insecurity, lack of confidence, or sadness are slowing you down too often, take a step back. Take the time to figure out what's missing. Your heart takes priority over everything else. Or, as Dane Sanders said many years ago, "You are NOT your business!" Fun doesn't need to be a lost art - it should be happening every day.

I have no secret. There are no rules to follow in business. I just work hard,
as I always have done, believe I can do it.
Most of all, I try to have fun.
Richard Branson

(I guess it's just a Richard Branson morning for great quotes!)
 
Wishing all of you a day that's jam-packed with fun. Remember, it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. Have fun with those therapeutic eleven-second hugs I always write about. Most important of all, appreciate the speed bumps, but don't let them slow you down from recognizing the incredible potential to have fun.

Happy Sunday!