Blah. Blah. Blah.
We all have our 2010 New Year’s Resolutions, right? Get to the gym. Lose weight. Manage time better in work.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
All great goals. And we should all go for them.
But I have yet to hear anyone say, “My New Year’s resolution is to have more fun and smile more in 2010”.
Well, let me be the first. Let’s face it folks, 2009 simply sucked for so many people. If the Great Recession didn’t impact you directly, you more than likely have loved ones who have been hit by it. They’ve been laid off. Their hours have been cut. They’re losing their house. They can’t afford daycare anymore. The list goes on and on. I certainly heard it all this past year through some of my career coaching clients.
That being said, I think we all need a bit of levity. Yes, we need to laugh. We need to have some fun DAMN IT. At home…and even more so at work.
I’m not suggesting that you forego the goals of getting to the gym, losing weight and managing your time better. But I am suggesting that you add “Have Some Fun and Laugh!” to your New Year’s Resolutions. If you have to, even PLAN some time for creative fun.
Me? Here are three, simple things that I’m doing for fun at the beginning of the New Year (and there will be a lot more as the year goes by):
1. My partner Wade and I are organizing Friday Night MAX Dinners with a couple of good friends. MAX is our ever-expanding light rail system here in Portland. It runs to places that we rarely go to – places like Gresham, Hillsboro, Clackamas and the far north side of Portland. There are great neighborhoods with ethnic and mom and pop restaurants we want to check out. So, each of us is going to take one of the lines and research a fun thing to do at the end of the line and a restaurant to have dinner on a Friday night. Exploring our metro area. Spending time with friends. Love it!
2. I am going to borrow friends’ dogs who would like them to have some “Uncle Brian” time in the VocationVacations and Brian Kurth + Company office. Since I’m the boss, the office is totally dog-friendly. I LOVE dogs but can’t have one in our condo building and I simply travel too much. So my friends’ dogs will have some “people time” and I’ll get my dog fix. Perfect!
3. I am a total foodie…but I can’t cook. And I also don’t like lamb. But a variety of friends and acquaintances keep telling me, “Oh, but you haven’t had MY lamb”…or their Mom’s lamb, etc. So, here’s the deal. Invite me to dinner. I challenge you and your lamb. Whether it’s here in Portland or when I’m in NYC, Chicago, Boston, LA or wherever. I will eat lamb in 2010 to determine if there really IS a lamb that I like. I will bring a nice bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir to pair with the lamb. How fun is that?
You get the point. Small things like what I’ve listed above will bring smiles, laughter and deeper relationships. It’s all part of the need for work/life balance!
What are YOU going to do to have more FUN and LAUGHTER at home and/or in the workplace in 2010?
Happy New Year!
Brian
Career Coaching & Mentor Recruitment – www.briankurth.com
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