We all have different definitions of FUN
This past weekend I had the opportunity to ride my bike with over 70 friends for 75 miles while raising money for a great cause. Many of you would not consider this ‘fun.’ My husband, for instance, would much rather have his fun in the form of a quiet day at home by tinkering in the yard and smoking a few different types of meat in the Big Green Egg.
Catherine Price’s recent TED talk headline caught my eye: “Why Having Fun is the Secret to a Healthier Life.” She proposes that while we are all constantly doing, we are not necessarily living – we need to have MORE FUN!
First, we have to redefine the word fun. People use the word fun to describe anything they do in their free time, even if it is something that is not actually fun. When I was younger, anytime we returned home from an event and were asked how it went, our parents did not accept our one-word teenage answers of “fun” or “fine.” More details were required! Have you ever told someone, “That was fun, we should do it again soon,” when you have no intention of doing it again, and it wasn’t that fun either? Even the dictionary definition of fun makes it sound childish, frivolous, or optional.
Fun is a FEELING, not an activity
I think we can all recall a time when we may have dragged our feet on attending an event or getting a project done that we dreaded and then somehow ended up having fun. It wasn’t the dinner, the speaker, or the task that changed; it was the feeling you had when you were there. Price says that people look like they are illuminated from within when they have fun. People who are having fun emanate lightness and joy.
It is okay to have fun at your job!
A team that is ‘having fun,’ or from the new definition of “emanating lightness and joy,” can easily set your practice apart as a different experience and create a happier and healthier work environment for all.
Price continues to explain that fun doesn’t just feel good;
it is good for us.
It is energizing, makes us more present, connects us as human beings, and physically makes us healthier and happier.
Click the image above to watch the team at Lantzy Children’s Dentistry having fun 🙂
How much FUN happens in your practice?
The Lantzy Children’s Dentistry team looks and sounds like they are having FUN at work. Now, this may not be your style. And that’s ok. I am not saying that every office needs to have the doctor dress up as the tooth fairy and stand out on the street corner (that sounds fun, right?), but you can easily find ways to create everyday fun moments. Especially when many practices struggle with team stability and culture, why not do the little things that will brighten everyone’s day? No one wants to dread going to work. Many patients already dread going to the dentist. You can spark joy and lightness in someone else’s day through gestures of kindness, selflessness, and surprise and delight.
Don’t you want to go to work every day and have FUN?