Fish! series, part 3: Have fun

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Image: adaptation of margot the light courtesy of shoothead

If you’re new to this series, you may want to read our first article where we explain the four basic principles that are the basis of the Fish! philosophy, and how it can help you have a happier life. Today, we will discuss the third principle (Have Fun), explain why it is so important to discover “the child within”, and provide you with some ideas on how to do this in your daily life — even in the most serious environment of all:At work.

Principle # 3 — Have fun

In our early years, we learn everything through play. We also have a lot of fun in the process. Why is it then that as we grow older, we become so serious? The third principle discussed in the book is an encouragement to remember that fun & games play a critical role in life.

Playing can inject some fun into your life at work and at home, and makes it easier to Choose your Attitude. When you have fun you are likely to take yourself less seriously, reduce stress, and have a better perspective in the challenges that life throws at you.

Whatever you do, make sure your effort to introduce more play in your life is carried on into your workplace. Play at work can lead to a more successful career, better engagement with your colleagues and your daily tasks, and increased innovation and productivity. The fishermen at the Pike Place Market in Seattle have made Play a way of doing business; in the process, they have created a workplace where employees are motivated and customers are engaged to the fullest. Other successful businesses have encouraged a playful attitude at work as a way to foster creativity and innovation, including Google, Electric Works, Red Bull, and many others.

To introduce Play at work you don’t need lots of money or a risky attitude (although the latter can certainly help, as this video of a flight attendant doing the pre-flight announcement as a rapper demonstrates). A dart-board or a few juggling balls are great starting points. How can you identify the props that will promote play at your workplace? Simply get together with your colleagues and decide whether to transform recycling paper into paper planes or make a collection to buy a foosball table or an electric train. When you discuss this idea with your colleagues, start by asking how can you all make the day less serious; I guarantee you will all come up with wonderful ideas.

In short, if you want to have a better, more fulfilled and relaxed life all you need to do is have some Playful Fun. And as the video below shows, sometimes all it take is a little dance.