I'm really glad to hear this, since my philosophy has been along the lines of "Do what you love and the money will follow".
Why shouldn't the employees have "fun" working at what they do? If you don't love what you are working at, why not work at something else you would love to do? I found that when I worked at something I loved doing, I did it better, worked harder, and made more money doing it.
Anytime I heard a successful celebrity or businessman talk about their career, they would mention how they loved what they did and how the money they made was secondary to the enjoyment they got from doing what they did for a living.
Most of us spend up to half our waking hours working for a living. Why shouldn't we enjoy our lives to the fullest, and enjoy that other half of our weekday life as much as we enjoy our hours of leisure? What brings the joy for us is an individual preference and comes in many forms; but it's my belief that to live without joy is less than living - it is merely surviving.
When I first read a book by mythologist Joseph Campbell and discovered his advice to "follow your bliss", it really made me stop and think. What is my bliss, my joy, that thing which makes my life enjoyable?
I don't know if it is that old Protestant Ethic that makes us feel guilty if we seek to enjoy ourselves too much; but I do know that something keeps me from putting more effort into finding joy. Something keeps me from even thinking about it too much. This seems such a perverse paradox to me.
If I had to say what "the purpose of Life" was in just one sentence, I think I would have to say: "to have fun".
That may sound like a self-absorbed sixties Hippy-Dippy philosophy, but I don't think it means anything different than "follow your bliss" or "the pursuit of happiness", and joy can be found in selfless service to others or in working on worthwhile projects.
So, if "fun" or "joy" is so important, why don't I give more thought to what kinds of things actually bring me joy, and why don't I put more time and effort into doing more of those things?
I'm working on it. I want this year to include more joy, or at least more enjoyment. I'm choosing to do more of the things I really enjoy, and doing less of things I don't enjoy. And I believe, like the CEO of Southwest Airlines, that you can do this and still have a successful business or career.
In fact, I think that if you don't, you are probably working at the wrong thing and won't really be "successful". It may look like success, but it won't feel like success, when there is no fun to be found in it.
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Truth Needs No Defending ©2002 by
Michael Star
