When the Game is Fun, the Goals Get Done

When I wrote recently about the Top 10 Qualities of Your Next Winning Goal, I never expected to hear so much feedback about quality #1 – FUN. "Goals should be fun?" some of you asked. And, "what's all this talk about a game?"People were both surprised and delighted to see that fun was included, let alone at the top of the list! Goals had always seemed like work, downright drudgery. To me, those reactions were a clear indication that we need to think about work, goals and having fun in different ways. In fact, look at your to do list right now – go ahead – and tell me, how many of the items are things you enjoy?If you're one of those people who was surprised to see FUN at the top of a list about goals, this is your call to get the fun ball rolling. This is your chance to be a hero, not just in your own life, but to be a changing force in the lives of others.Here are five ways that you can choose FUN:

1. Make your work fun. If you're an employee, while it's true that you may not have control over the projects you're working on or the deadlines you have to meet, you DO have control over your mindset. Make it FUN.When you're having fun, you're using your strengths and feeling good about yourself and what you're doing. Remember, you were chosen for this job. Your employer saw good things in you. How can you bring those things into your daily work tasks?
2. Make mistakes.Mistakes are great, as long as you learn from them. If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking any risks. You're also probably taking yourself and your work way too seriously.When you've got room to experiment, try new things and make mistakes, work automatically becomes more fun. And that's contagious.
3. Become the ambassador of fun.Create a culture of fun at your workplace. In one organization I coached, they had a party at the end of every single tracking period. In another company, they held a sales contest with simple prizes and had a big event to acknowledge the winners.No matter what there is to celebrate – one department met a deadline, one individual won an award – bring the whole organization together to have fun and feel connected to that big picture of success.
4. Win the smile Olympics.Don't feel like smiling? Smile! Someone didn't smile at you? Smile!Smiling is one of the easiest and simplest ways to keep your spirits up and have an immediate impact on others around you. Smiling relieves stress, eases tension and shifts your mindset.Another organization I've worked with renamed their receptionist the Director of First Impressions. Smiling is an important part of her job description. Make it part of yours.
5. Add yourself back to the list.Remember that to do list that didn't have any fun things on it? Now's the time to add those back. And your personal goals might need just as much of a fun makeover as your professional goals.Would you enjoy your family activities more if GETTING there was as much fun as being there? How can you make a game out of keeping everyone on time?Would you enjoy going to the gym more if you went with a buddy? Listened to your favorite music? Or if you scheduled your visits so that you can watch that "guilty pleasure" TV show while you walk on the treadmill?

I'm thrilled that I've helped you to pause and think about fun. Now, are you ready to stop the drudgery? Look, we're responsible adults; we know what we have to get done. And we can get the same job done in a fun way, with guaranteed better results. Are you game?-------------------------------(c) Copyright 2008, Mark Fordhttp://www.ffgroupconsulting.com-------------------------------