Right??
"Does everything have to be a competition?"
Confused, I asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well, can't you just have fun?" they replied.
More confused, I responded, "Yeah, but, I want to be successful at having fun."
I began blogging about a week ago for the sake of having something that could consistently challenge me, mainly, as a way to occupy my time.
I figured that this was the perfect way to keep loved ones up to date, have a creative outlet, and continue to hone my writing skills.
You may think that writing is no big deal, but writing is an art form.
It takes the right string of words, at the right time, and with the right flow to get someone hooked long enough to read an entire post.
Who has the time, right?
Typically we'll read the first few sentences and then scroll through until we find something in bold or something written in a list format to easily skim and file away.
Think about most posts that catch your eye.
We don't just read blogs or articles just to read them. We have to be pulled into them.
This is the aspect that I'm wanting to perfect.
Unfortunately, it's harder to feel as though something is "perfect" when analytics are telling you otherwise.
Perfection is easy when it's specifically for you.
I know it doesn't feel that way, but when you decide what is or isn't perfect, you hold the power.
Perfection is much more difficult when you decide that other people are the ones holding the power.
That internal dialogue plays out like this:
"Will they like this?
Is it funny enough? Is it informative enough?
Is it boring? I don't think it's boring.
Do they think it's boring?
Omg it's boring!"
Once viewed as a fun way to express yourself, your interest has now turned into an unintentional spectacle and you're the main attraction - just hoping to keep your viewers entertained long enough to keep the lights on.
Where's the fun in that?
Fun is defined as: enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure.
Lighthearted. Cheerful and carefree.
How many of us truly know how to be cheerful and carefree?
I can't speak for you, but I'm not sure that I can raise my hand.
You know who I do see living that life though: my high school students.
The majority of them aren't focused on bills or commitments or deadlines.
They could care less if they're talking too loudly about the 3 energy drinks they had before class or how telling you how badly they want to finish watching World War Z WHILE YOU'RE TEACHING.
They do have projects and assignments and grades but like, hey, a D is still passing so it's all good.
They're still in their uber procrastinator phase where their main goal is to have fun now and do work later.
When is "later", you ask?
Typically at 2am on the day their assignment is due.
So here we are.
The blog started out as fun, and then it turned into a logistical issue, and now it's turned into a sphere where my desire for an outlet is coupled with my desire to be successful in basically everything I do.
I honestly don't know when "having fun" became something to be measured, but it has.
Maybe it was when everything I did became a deciding factor on whether I'd succeed, get a promotion, or "do well in life."
"Make this choice, move to this city, take that job - ah wait, you shouldn't have taken that job. Go back to the beginning and don't collect $200."
At this point, fun is some mythical creature that I don't even know is real.
I think it can be, but it would require a serious effort to view experiences without the lens of assessment.
It requires an ability to take enjoyable experiences at face value without comparing them to something we've done in the past, something we would have rather done, or something we should be doing instead.
I know what you're thinking, "Easier said than done."
But here's a question that I've been asking myself lately:
Is it really easier said than done, or is that a way to avoid taking initiative (and ending up disappointed)?
I'm sure we both know what the real answer is.
And if that's the case, why not give it a chance?!
It'll be fun...right?
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