We have spent this month experiencing more joy and happiness in our lives.
This week’s exercise is about enjoying 15 minutes of FUN every day. A technique I learned from Shawn Achor, a Harvard positive psychology expert. (Look on youtube for Shawn’s videos.)
The 15 minutes of fun has to be active. We have to be mindful about it – meaning to really enjoy what we are doing. We can say to ourselves, I will have fun for the next 15 minutes. We simply can change the way we are thinking about our fun activity.
The challenge is to consciously include time in your life every day to play, laugh, create, enjoy, spend time doing what you enjoy, to have fun.
Sounds simple enough but it is surprising how hard it may be to purposely have fun.
Some changes in your life require creating a new habit or breaking an old one. Some say it takes 28 days to create a habit, but my
experience showed me that it takes much more – twice or three time the number of days.
This week is a perfect opportunity to create a new habit. A habit which will bring you joy and happiness for many years to come.
The practice of including focused joy in life.
Consciously committing to a 15 minute fun activity can even help you start to become healthier.
How is that possible you ask? If we exercise we start feeling better, if we start feeling better we will want to eat healthier. When we change our eating habits, we will become healthier.
When you use the fun 15 exercise, your brain says I’ve been successful in one domain, I bet I can be successful in another domain. I can try out another positive fun 15 minute habit.
To get started create a list of things that bring you joy, make you laugh, you simply enjoy doing.
Some possibilities: exercising for FUN…
Working out for life
– take walk in a park
– cook a new recipe or old favorite
– pull out the sewing machine and create something
– hit the golf links
Golf outing
– sign up for a laugh a day type web site
– see a movie
– tart a hobby
– laugh out loud
Right now go to a your day timer, cell phone, appointment book:
– schedule the fun time in your calendar
– write down the activity you will enjoy
