10 Tips on Having Fun - Growing Older is Mandatory, Growing Up is Optional

Being an adult can become drudgery if we let it. We have to work to earn a living. Those bills won't pay themselves. We have a house to clean, laundry to take care of, shopping to do, meals to cook—the list seems endless. Sometimes we're left wondering… where's the fun in life?

If you want to inject a little fun into your day, you need look no further than your own children. If you don't have kids, simply drive past the nearest school yard. Kids know how to have fun! They make the world their playground. And you can too.

How to Make Each Day More Fun

1.     Step out of your comfort zone – As we get older, we tend to cling to those things we know as safe. However, fun is found in taking a little risk now and then. I'm not suggesting you walk a tight-rope across Niagra Falls. Just do something different. Last night, I turned on some music and danced around the kitchen as I cooked dinner. 

2.     Exercise your imagination – Close your eyes, take a deep, relaxing breath, and imagine yourself climbing a tree, or riding a roller coaster, or walking on the beach. See the landscape from twenty feet up in the air, feel the wind in your hair and the sun warming your skin. Children can get lost for hours in their imagination.

3.     Embrace spontaneity – Are your wheels stuck in a rut? Break out of the ordinary and do something wild! Go to the movies on a Tuesday afternoon. When was the last time you went bowling? Find a billiards hall and shoot some pool.

4.     Enjoy the moment – Whatever it is you're doing, be there. Don't worry about tomorrow, or yesterday, or even an hour from now. Clear your mind of all those chaotic thoughts. Wonder is in every moment, if you just focus on the here and now. 

5.     Laugh like no one is watching – Something happens to us when we become adults. We no longer want to be seen. We feel a need to blend in, to not be noticed. But if you watch children, they laugh right out loud. Self-consciousness is stifling.

6.     Create something – Grab a pencil and write a poem, or draw a picture of the tree that's in your backyard. Build a birdhouse out of popsicle sticks or a castle out of playing cards. Creating something for pure enjoyment brings a feeling of great accomplishment.

7.     What's the rush? – Consider giving yourself a few extra minutes for each planned task of the day. When you hurry from one thing to the next, you miss the opportunity to see and feel and experience what's happening to you in the moment. Like a child in wide-eyed wonder, slow down and take in the view.

8.     Smile! – I've read that a child smiles nearly 150 times each day while an adult averages fewer than a dozen smiles in the same time frame. Grins and giggles lift your spirit like nothing else.

9.     Explore the world – Children are in awe of nature, whether it's watching bees flutter from flower to flower or turning over rocks to see what creepy-crawlies are underneath. So get in tune with nature. Buy yourself some wind chimes. Or simply take a walk and listen to birdsong. Have you ever noticed the sound of dead leaves skittering along the asphalt? Or how rain hitting the roof can sound like steaks sizzling on a grill? Nature is a great place to find calm after a hard day's work.

10. Learn something new – Challenge yourself! Learn a new task. It could be as simple learning to fold a basic origami heart, reading a book on a subject that interests you, or you could go all out and learn a foreign language.

Take a break from thinking like an adult. Run and dance and climb a tree! Child-like behavior can bring a smile to you face and joy to your heart. 

What do you do to have fun?