Putting the Fun Back In Work

I came across this quote the other day and I think of it every day in everything that I do:

When you have a Job, the day doesn’t go by fast enough. When you have a Career, there’s not enough hours in the day. – anon

When you love what you do, you’re almost always working 24/7. A new idea. A new project. Follow up emails. Phone calls. Proposals. Teaming up with new client partners and business partners. Brainstorming sessions. Etc. There’s always something to work on and you know what, that’s ok. It’s easy when you love what you do.

I think that too often though, when you’re en entrepreneur and you wear many hats, it’s easy to let the stresses of the day-to-day overcome you. Well, here’s a quick video on how to put Fun back into your work…

1. GET FOCUSED – Stop hiding who you really are. Take the time to figure out what makes up your DNA. What do you stand for? What does your business stand for? What are your values?

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else. – Judy Garland, Actress

2. GET FOCUSED – Start being intensely selfish. Let passion drive your work day! It’s time to get focused on the things that you love to do. Surround yourself with your supporters (family and loved ones) and your biggest fans (clients and friends). “Don’t waste your time on anything else.” If it’s not going to help you achieve your goals, it doesn’t matter.

3. BE CREATIVE – Stop following the rules. Besides…

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. – katharine Hepburn, actress

You don’t always have to do things “by the book.”

4. BE CREATIVE – Start scaring yourself. You have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. Explore new opportunities. Push to new limits. Test new products. Once you step outside your comfort zone, you’ll unleash the best of your creativity (and that’s a good thing).

5. USE YOUR WISDOM – Stop taking it all so damn seriously. Seriously though, don’t sweat the small stuff. And really, when you think about it, it’s all small stuff. If you run into a problem, deal with it. Don’t put it off. Everything has a solution. And you’ll come to find that the sooner you deal with a problem, the better off you’ll be (and you’ll feel better for it too).

6. USE YOUR WISDOM – Start getting rid of the crap. Think of all of the things that are weighing you down on a daily basis: habits, memories, people, routines, etc. Get rid of it all! You don’t need distractions. You don’t need negativity. It’s all getting in the way of you doing very big things. So, as of today, get rid of all of that clutter.

7. TAKE ACTION – Stop being busy. It’s easy to act busy. But really, are you focusing on the important stuff. Think about it. Then, refocus, eliminate the clutter, and focus on the stuff that matters. Stop doing the “busy work” and work on the stuff that really matters.

8. TAKE ACTION – Start something. Don’t wait for permission to do what you want to do (what you love to do). You don’t need permission from anyone. All you have to do is believe in yourself, get out of your own damn way, and do it!

So… What are you gonna do today to put the fun back into your work?