You Gotta Have Fun

The first question I ask when coaching business people is if they are having fun. How they answer is revealing.

My son recently invited a group of high school classmates to our house one Saturday to prepare for an upcoming school debate. I ordered pizzas for the kids, and during the lunch break, one boy mentioned he had chosen French for his foreign language requirement at school.

I am a shameless, life-long Francophile. So, I was intrigued. I love the French language, people, art, literature, cuisine, movies, music, and all parts of the country. I asked what made him decide to study French.

“I chose French just to get the grade,” he explained. “Japanese was too hard for me, and I wanted an easy option.”

Now, this boy is smart, friendly, and artistic. He and my son play in a rock band together. Yet, in my heart, I sighed when he told me his motivation.

One of the girls spoke up.

“I chose Spanish for my foreign language requirement!”

“Why Spanish?” I asked.

“Well, a lot of people in the world speak Spanish,” she began tentatively.

She paused. Her eyes went wide. She grinned wryly for a moment.

“And Spanish footballers are sooooo cute!” she gushed.

Then she declared, “I want a Spanish footballer boyfriend!”

I laughed and asked, “What do you think of Lionel Messi?”

“Well, he’s not Spanish, but he speaks Spanish, and he is cute,” she admitted. (Messi is an Argentinian footballer.) “But he’s thirty-five and married,” she sighed.

“What? Do you have files on all these guys?” I asked facetiously.

“Yes!” she responded earnestly and started pulling out her laptop.

“No! Don’t worry! You don’t need to show me!” I said quickly before she could start on whatever she had in mind.

“So, speak some Spanish for me,” I requested. She obliged effervescently with some simple Spanish rolling off her tongue. Not bad for four months of study, I thought.

I turned back to the boy who had chosen French.

“How about you? Say something in French,” I requested.

“I never speak French,” he responded matter-of-factly. “Speaking is not required for the exam,” he expounded.

Again, in my heart, I let out a sigh.

“Man, you are really missing out!” I admonished.

I turned to the girl. “You will definitely master Spanish,” I said encouragingly. She beamed.

I turned to the boy. “You will find that learning French is neither easier nor harder than Japanese.”

He scowled.

“How can you say she will master Spanish, but I will find French just as hard as Japanese?” he asked me.

“Because she is having fun!” I pointed out.

“So what are you saying? I should learn to speak French so I can meet French girls?” he asked sardonically as if such logic were trite and puerile.

“Sure! Why not?!” I retorted. “There are certainly far less compelling reasons to learn French!” I suggested.

“Besides, why do you think I chose to learn French when I was a teenager?” I asked rhetorically and continued.

“Let me give you a hint; it was not because I wanted to get a passing grade on some arbitrary exam!”

If you want to be successful at anything, whether in work, business, or life, you must have fun.

If you are in it only for the grade, the money, or the approval of others, these will never be enough to see you through the inevitable difficulties, hardships, and setbacks.

Life is too short not to have fun.

So let me ask you. Are you having fun?

Be honest with yourself. Your answer might be more revealing than you think.