Does this scenario sound anything like your life? Hard at work on an important project, eight or more hours a day at the office, arrive home to take care of household errands, projects, dinner, and car pool for the children, and maybe end the day with an additional hour or two of work to make the next day go a little smoother, so you tell yourself. This same day repeats itself Monday through Friday and the weekends are not much more fun.

Fun, remember that word, when was the last time you contemplated having some? Are you aware that the week I just described could become a lot more tolerable if you added a little fun in the mix? So why don’t you take the time to enjoy yourself more? Some see fun as unworthy of their time and even trivial. There is important work to do, right? What you may not realize is that fun is not a distraction from your successful life, but in fact can lead you to it.

Remember what it feels like to laugh uncontrollably until your sides hurt? If the last time you experienced that kind of fun was when you were a kid, then it is time to make plans. And not just for the fun of it, there is actually scientific proof that laughter is good for your health and your work.

• Laughter releases endorphins – just like exercise and chocolate!
• Laughter bolsters the immune system
• Play encourages creativity and thinking on the right side of the brain
• Reduces stress and burnout ” Play improves communication skills
• Play recaptures the spontaneity of childhood

By adding some fun into your life, that next big project that seems impossible to complete, can be completed with more ease and creativity as a result of taking time for fun and allowing your brain to stretch and rest. I hope I have convinced you that you should add some fun into your routine. If I have you may now be saying, “so what is that I will do to have fun”. What did you get lost in for hours as a child? Did you play alone or prefer a playmate, indoors or out of doors? Start remembering what you really loved to do, you will find that your childhood memories may help you to uncover your fun meter. Or you may already know what you love and be ready to make plans. I believe if you say, “You’re right I’m going to try to start having some fun”, you have not made a real commitment and it will never happen. But if you sit down and create a list of activities that you would enjoy doing and then start the planning process, then you will have created the structures to ensure you have some fun.

List of fun activities Enjoy a night at the movies with a good friend–Actions to make it happen–Pick up the phone and make the invitation.

I enjoy gardening–Actions to make it happen–Schedule time after work to stop at garden store and begin planning.

I love picnics–Actions to make it happen–Surprise your family and create a picnic dinner to share at the park or in the backyard-do it today or tomorrow.

A ballgame with a friend–Actions to make it happen–Get online order the tickets, call your friend and make the invitation.

A quiet bath–Actions to make it happen–Tell your family you will be unavailable for two hours, pick up some wine, candles and great music…today and enjoy! You get the idea. Now here is a challenge–make your own list of fun activities and keep it posted in clear view so that it is easily seen. It will remind you to have some fun occasionally. I encourage you to actually schedule some fun in your life. Pull out your PDA and schedule it now!

Donna Amos

Business Coach and Strategist

Infinite Possibilities Coaching

http://www.donnaamos.com

donna@donnaamos.com

Donna supports solopreneurs while they create incredible profitable businesses while maintaining balance in their lives. She only works with those that are committed and ready to take action. Email her to learn how she can help you create a successful business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donna_Amos
http://EzineArticles.com/?When-Was-the-Last-Time-You-Had-Fun-Just-For-the-Fun-of-It?&id=1407462

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1. Identify fun

A fun life consists of a good mix of routine and excitement. We feel comfortable having a daily timetable with goals and focus, but we need pleasurable experiences to shake us out of our complacency and make us feel alert, awake and happy. Remember what fun was for you. Think back over what you enjoyed as a child – rolling down hills, licking the bowl of cake mix, going ice-skating? And as a teenager? Was it running into the sea? Dancing into the early hours? Brainstorming? During the following weeks make a list of what fun was, and still is, for you and start doing those exciting things again.

2. Plan spontaneity

Randomness is fun, so why do we have to ‘plan’ spontaneity? Easy. Because, if you don’t, you’ll have no time for it. We fill up our days with ‘stuff’, so instead leave blank hours in your diary for time in which to bring back that freedom. And, when the moment comes, walk out of your front door with no idea whatsoever what you’re going to do and just see what happens.

3. Stretch yourself

What would get you out of your comfort zone and into a realm of discovery? Think about everything you’ve wanted to do, but somehow been scared to do it. Is it going camping? Bungee jumping? Or learning Chinese? Don’t wait. Just do it – and notice how much fun it is stretching yourself.

4. Celebrate

Celebrations can seem like forced fun. The yearly anticipation for New Year’s Eve, for example, can be more fun than the event when we find that our expectations aren’t met and we have yet another gloomy start to a new year. But celebrations don’t have to be big, you can think small. Who needs a wedding to celebrate? What about celebrating today with a picnic? Or the arrival of the weekend with an impromptu BBQ? How would you like to celebrate being alive today?

5. Say ‘Yes’

We talk a lot about saying ‘No’ and how important it is to put yourself first. Sometimes it’s important to say ‘No’ just so that you can say ‘Yes’ to something you don’t even know you want to do yet. Next time someone asks you to do something you weren’t planning, instead of saying ‘No, I promised I’d go shopping with my aunt’ or ‘Sorry, I can’t, I have to cook’, just say ‘Yes’. Enjoy the excitement and fun that ‘Yes’ will bring you.

6. Go with the feeling

So often we waste time making decisions. We just don’t know what we want. We’ve lost the ability to listen to our intuition. Once we stop listening to our feelings, we lose our confidence and that’s definitely no fun. Get in touch with what you want – listen to your gut feelings and, once you know what you want, then you’ll know what’s fun for you.

7. Laugh

What makes you laugh? Is it watching an old episode of ‘Cheers’? Supper with certain friends? Being tickled? Laughter always works. It epitomises what fun is all about. Increasingly as a society we’re becoming aware of the therapeutic benefits of laughter, but we knew them anyway. What makes you laugh most? What does it feel like when you laugh? And how can you do (even) more of it? Laughter is a great form of fun.

8. All roads lead to fun

It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do it thoroughly. Exploring anything intensely absorbs you and that’s a deep level of fun. What is it about throwing yourself into a subject that’s so much fun? Is it amassing knowledge? Getting out of yourself? Leaving yourself open to new things? Or is it the intensity? See how applying yourself to anything – from cooking a new recipe to exploring a new city can be fun. And then find the next thing to explore.

Nina Grunfeld loves having fun. In 2004 she created Life Clubs (http://www.lifeclubs.com), weekly self-development workshops around the UK and Canada that help people get to know themselves better and find the fun (and everything else) in their lives. Nina really enjoys running Life Clubs as every day is different and full of learning. If you want weekly hints and tips about fun and a host of other things, come to your local Life Clubs. If there isn’t one near you yet, subscribe to the Life Clubs bulletin (http://www.lifeclubs.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115&Itemid=7), read Nina’s blog (http://lifeclubs.blogspot.com/), follow Life Clubs on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LifeClubs) or buy one of Nina’s best selling books (http://www.lifeclubs.co.uk/wow-media-books-etc).

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My youngest son is in town with my two oldest  grandsons. That puts my whole family together – a very small family reunion – two sons and three grandsons. It is quite a wonderful experience having them under the same roof.

My visiting son invited his old friends and their children to the local park for a water balloon fight yesterday and I had no idea what to expect. How much fun can getting everybody wet possible be? It turns out – a lot. My conclusion is that having good old fashioned fun is a self improvement experience!

To set the scene: for three days we all filled balloons with water and stored them in coolers for the big day. The big kids filled most of them and I did some – just enough to learn that it isn’t as easy as it looks. We had  three coolers filled with water balloons and  the back of his truck filled with food as we arrived at the local park and set up shop in the large picnic pavilion. (There wasn’t much traffic at the park since the temperature was in the one hundreds and we had our choice of any picnic spot in the park). For every adult there was one or two children ranging in ages from 3 to 18, and it was the children that were the most interesting. Let me tell you what I learned.

A water balloon fight is an equalizer. It didn’t matter if you were a child or an adult, young or old, know or unknown – you got hit with balloons and you hit someone else. It was a wild free-for-all and the common denominator was laughter. The balloon-filled coolers were in the center so those who had to restock were in the target zone. Everyone was soaked and everyone had a good time. Only the three year old cried and after a few moments the crying turned to giggles as he got back into the fray and smashed a balloon smack in the middle of his mom.

You can’t hold on to anger in the middle of so much fun. There were no cross words, no reprimands, no verbal attacks, no one-upmanship. No one played too rough and no one was mean. Everyone watched out for the little ones making sure they were safe but being sure they got their share of getting wet. Water balloon fighting might make a good therapy tool.

Children are the greatest teachers of how to have fun. It was interesting to watch the children as they arrived.  None of the families had met each other before so the children didn’t know each other. But you would never know that. As they came to the picnic area, they looked around, found another kid their size and began to play. No introductions, no explanations – just instant rapport and instant play. They got involved watching the ducks swimming  in the lake and trying to catch a turtle. There was enough to see and do to keep them all interested and involved. Some had their scooters, a couple had fishing poles. They all had smiles and giggles. They didn’t seem to be interested in whether or not some other kid had designer labels or whose parents had the most prestige. They just played. Hmmm. I think they might be on to something.

A few hours of fun has an effect that lasts long after the party is over. This kind of fun – active participation and involvement – has a much longer effect than going to a movie or even a sports event. We were hot and tired when it was over but the mood was light and stayed that way for the rest of the day and late into the evening. I still feel good from it as I reflect on it.

A good water balloon fight should be followed by hot dogs and hamburgers. And it was. My oldest son played chef and sizzled up some hot dogs and hamburgers that disappeared in a matter of minutes and could easily win the prize for best picnic food of the century. There’s nothing like a skirmish and dripping wet clothes to whet the appetite.

A lot of endorphins were released yesterday and my guess is that everyone slept well last night after letting go of all the stress, the drama,  the trauma and the worry for those few hours on a Sunday afternoon. For us adults It was like being a kid again.

My conclusion? We need to get serious about having fun. Life is too short to spend it uptight and worried all the time. Let your hair down. Get real. Have a water balloon fight.

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Fun is a key ingredient to happiness. You can be happy without fun AND you can take your happiness to a whole new level when you add fun to your life.

You can be happy without having fun. But why would you do that? You’d be missing out on the joy and freedom that comes with fun and recreation!

People talk about balance. Okay, you want a balance that includes your work, your recreation, your important people and all your significant relationships. And you want to take care of your well being and health too.

Health? What does that have to with fun and happiness?

Happy people are healthier than people who fail to live in happiness. When you smile, and especially when you laugh out loud, you release what Dr. Candace Pert calls neuropeptides. Essentially, neuropeptides are released by your emotions. Good feelings release good chemicals that run through your system making you feel good and actually boost your immunity and health!

Pretty darn neat, don’t you think? When you do things that leave you feeling great you improve your health! You improve your physical and emotional health!

What do you do in your life that allows you to cut loose and just have fun? What activity brings you joy and laughter? I am not just talking about inner comfort. I mean outrageous goofy behaviors that leave you laughing inside and out!

Norman Cousin’s’ story about how he healed himself from a fatal illness by watching funny videos is not a myth. It is real. And it is real science too.

Here is the thing about fun – many people are afraid to look goofy. Most people refuse to look ridiculous – as if behaving in a silly manner changes who you are or what you have accomplished in your life!

I know all about those feelings. I thought if ever did anything that made me look foolish I would lose all my credibility and the respect of others who know me and those who do not know me!

I discovered nothing could be further from the truth.

Last year I felt the fear and did it anyway – a friend and I started making what we call Laughing Ladies Videos. Talk about looking completely foolish!

The amazing result was my little girl came out to play.! Holy crow! My little child never played in my life – not that way! Goodness gracious I had so much fun after that first video we went on to make two more.

And, as far as I can tell, I didn’t lose a single friend or client. In fact everyone who responded to our videos said they were rolling on the floor with laughter and thanked us for the break in their ho hum day.

I guarantee you will survive looking foolish and in the process have more fun than you can evener imagine! Do something ludicrous for the joy of it

And are you enjoying your life? IS outrageous fun part of your routine?
Take a moment to ask yourself if what you do every day has not led you to create a reality of happiness yet, will your world look any different tomorrow?
I invite you to discover new steps to the shortcut to happiness.
I wrote a Special Report: 45 Tips to Live in Happiness Now
Click here to get your FREE copy now.

And remember… Don’t give up hope… You deserve to be happy

Ali Bierman, The Happiness Gal who guides you down the path to Live In Happiness Now
http://LiveInHappinessNow.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Bierman
http://EzineArticles.com/?Fun—Essential-Ingredient-in-Happiness&id=4478575

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Every so often I receive one of those emails that are passed from woman to woman about the importance of girlfriends. They are so poetic and poignant. I love them. I know there is a long routing list of which I am one of dozens, but I like being included. Friends are such a cherished part of my life and the words expressed in the content of the passages resonate to my core. We ladies would be lost without our girlfriends!

Friends help up pick up the pieces after an ugly (or not so ugly) break-up, they are our support when our children confuse us, a sounding board for just about every situation that comes across our path and if that weren’t enough they are our most trusted fashion advisers. My best friend Sue often reminds me, “friends tell us what we need to hear not what we want to hear.” She never passes judgment, always a sympathetic ear and tells me like it is.

The other day I was having lunch with one of my other best friends, my 90-year-old mom.  I asked her what brought her the most happiness in her life. Without a second thought, she proclaimed,  “my friends! They are always there for me. They help me through thick and thin, I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

No doubt friends are the key to a fulfilling life. We’ve known it forever.  Now researchers are finding another reason to keep friends close.  There is scientific evidence that friendships and being a part of a social network can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Staying in touch with friends can keep depression at bay and keep us young. A Harvard Nurses Health Study found that the more friends a woman had the less likely they were to be physically incapacitated, as they grew older.

Why do women love sharing, discussing and dissecting so much? It appears that sharing with friends is hard wired in our brains. Stress from jobs, challenging relationships and even traffic can trigger the release of cortisol, a hormone which increases blood pressure, blood sugar and reduces immune responses. Luckily, our brains have a built in mechanism to counter the harmful affects of cortisol, called oxytocin. Intense pressure for women triggers the release of oxytocin, or the so called calming hormone. A number of activities increase the output of oxytocin, including my favorite activity, exercise, along with a few other favs – yoga, massage, meditation, caring for a pet and you guessed it hanging out with friends. All these activities including companionship leads to the release of more oxytocin creating an increased sense of well being. Combine that with exercise and you’ve got a double dose of zen.  Oxytocin is a unique neurochemical, difficult to replicate synthetically, but the more we make with the above mentioned activities the stronger our body and mind responds to it.  The stress relieving aspect of friendship and fitness can play a big role in helping women stay healthy and far better than a medicine cabinet full of drugs.

Try spending at least an hour a week with your friends walking and chatting, it can lead to better health and will definitely be a ton of fun!

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By Irene Conlan -

I came across this the other day and, as I reflect on Christmas and on how children experience it differently than adults, I decided that maybe you would like it, too. I don’t know who wrote it but I thank whoever did. If you, the author, read this, let me know your name and I’ll publish it again giving you full credit.

Enjoy.

Dear to whom it concern,

I hereby officially tender my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of a 6 year old again.

I want to go to McDonald’s and think that it’s a four star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make ripples with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money, because you can eat them.

I want to play kickball during recess and paint with watercolors in art.

I want to lie under a big Oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, addition tables and simple nursery rhymes, but that didn’t bother you, because you didn’t know what you didn’t know and you didn’t care.

When all you knew was to be happy because you didn’t know all the things that should make you worried and upset.

I want to think that the world is fair. That everyone in it is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible.

Somewhere in my youth…I matured and I learned too much. I learned of nuclear weapons, war, prejudice, starvation and abused children.

I learned of lies, unhappy marriages, suffering, illness, pain and death. I learned of a world where men left their families to go and fight for our country, and returned only to end up living on the streets begging for their next meal.

I learned of a world where children knew how to kill…and did!!

What happened to the time when we thought that everyone would live forever, because we didn’t grasp the concept of death?  When we thought the worst thing in the world was if someone took the jump rope from you or picked you last for kickball?

I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life and be overly excited by little things once again.

I want to return to the days when reading was fun and music was clean.

When television was used to report the news or for family entertainment and not to promote sex, violence and deceit.

I remember being naive and thinking that everyone was happy because I was.

I would walk on the beach and only think of the sand between my toes and the prettiest seashell I could find.

I would spend my afternoons climbing trees and riding my bike or finding hidden pictures in the clouds.

I didn’t worry about time, bills or where I was going to find the money to fix my car.

I used to wonder what I was going to do or be when I grew up, not worry about what I’ll do if this doesn’t work out.

I want to live simple again.

I don’t want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.

I want to be 6 again.

Sincerely,

The kid in me

First  Video

This video is Show #228 of the 1970′s Earl Nightingale TV Show Our Changing World

If you want to watch the video after it’s week in the right column, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfbYnYvaTDE

2nd Video: LAUGH OF THE WEEK - Headlines from the Jay Leno Show
I always thought this was the funniest part of his show and these are Jay Leno’s favorites over the last 16 years of the Tonight Show. They range from just really funny to a bit on the ragged edge. I hope they make you laugh.

If you want to watch the video after it’s week in the right column, click here:

http://www.thejaylenoshow.com/video/clips/best-of-headlines/1135821/?__cid=thefilter

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