October 2022—Happy Halloween—Have a little fun!
I like to dress up for Halloween! This year I was visiting at my daughter and son-in-law’s house, so I looked around to see what I could find to make myself a costume. I found a black satin sheet lying on a bed, which I knew would work for my main costume. After searching through my granddaughters’ dress up boxes, I found a fluffy little skirt and put it around my head. I thought I looked great! My grandchildren all laughed at me and asked, “What are you?”
I wasn’t sure what I was, so I announced that I was a “Silly Nana!” because that was the first thing that popped into my head! They all agreed. I was a silly Nana who wanted to join their family fun on Halloween night! And it was fun!
Speaking of fun, I recently read a new book that teaches how to make work fun! It is written by one of my favorite authors, Greg McKeown, who wrote the book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. His new book is called Effortless: Make It Easy to Get the Right Things Done. This is a small part of his summary about Effortless:
What is the Effortless State? The Effortless State is an experience many of us have had when we are physically rested, emotionally unburdened, and mentally energized. You are completely aware, alert, present, attentive, and focused on what’s important in this moment. You are able to focus on what matters most with ease.
ENJOY — Pair the most essential activities with the most enjoyable ones. Accept that work and play can co-exist. Turn tedious tasks into meaningful rituals. Allow laughter and fun to lighten more of your moments.
INVERT — Instead of asking, “Why is this so hard?,” invert the question by asking, “What if this could be easy?” Challenge the assumption that the “right” way is, inevitably, the harder one. Make the impossible possible by finding an indirect approach. When faced with work that feels overwhelming, ask, “How am I making this harder than it needs to be?”
REST — Discover the art of doing nothing. Do not do more today than you can completely recover from by tomorrow. Break down essential work into three sessions of no more than ninety minutes each. Take an effortless nap.
When I was a young mother, I read a small book called, The Art of Rearing Children Peacefully, by Emma Rae Riggs McKay (1877-1970). In it she shared her opinions on mothering. She stated, “The art of raising children peacefully and pleasantly is the art of becoming a child again and growing up with them.”
This profound thought has always stayed with me. I have always liked “becoming a child again” with my children and my grandchildren. That’s why I dress up for Halloween, bake lots of pies for Thanksgiving, tie red ribbons in my hair for Christmas dinner, and stay up till midnight watching movies on New Year’s Eve. I want to have a little fun—and stay child-like!
And now, after listening to Greg McKeown’s book, Effortless, on Audible three times, I’m learning how to make my work more fun as well! I hope you will, too!