NOTE: This is a longer and more personal newsletter than usual. If you want the short version: I’d be grateful if you’d preorder The Fun Habit. The book is getting some great early reviews. If you’d like a chance to win a free copy, scroll to the bottom.
Last quarter, I briefly shared the good time I’d had in Portland—breaking a world record and attending the conference WDS X. In the end, it was a great experience, but what I held back from sharing is that a chronic pain condition I’ve been dealing with since contracting COVID decided to flair out of control. I went into the adventure believing the fun trip would provide a bit of respite, but (for reasons still unknown) the opposite happened. Motor function in my left leg intermittently failed me, and what started as mild paraesthesia in my scalp evolved into full-blown occipital neuralgia. If you don’t know what these words mean, no worries; I didn’t either until I was forced to learn—just fancy ways of saying it hurts to walk, stand or think.
Despite the pain, I made Portland fun. Notably, I spent some time with this quarter’s interviewees, Kirsten Anderson and Samira Rajabi. Hung out with previous interviewees Gary Ware and Jeff Harry, and made some new friends like Apryl Schlueter and Josh Kaufman—who’ll likely be future interviewees. (Josh, apologies for dipping out of the closing party early on you; it took all of me to maintain standing while one leg wasn’t cooperating, and I was too embarrassed to let you know.)
Why am I sharing all of this now?
Writing The Fun Habit was a result of finding joy after an immense amount of psychological pain (the death of my brother), and now given current circumstances, I’ve found it’s just as applicable for dealing with physical pain, too. When I sat down with Samira (she won’t let me call her Dr. Rajabi), she put it to me this way, “…there’s no extra credit for the struggle. You can keep acting like your body is 25 years old, but the fact is, it’s not. So: Do you want to be in your life? Or, do you want to be performing your life as though it was something else?” Samira admits she lifted the “extra credit” line from her friend Ben Whitehair’s Medium post. In said post, Ben provides some more nuance, explaining you can live, “your life as if you ‘have to’ do things, or you ‘get to’ do things.” Ben’s thought here hits on one of the central tenets of The Fun Habit:
“…when we seek fun out deliberately, not despite our pain, but in harmony with it, we unlock a door to a new world that eludes too many. Not only do we experience more pleasure, but we unlock valuable insight and wisdom as well. And, perhaps best of all, life gifts us with moments of awe and wonder that become accessible when we joyfully connect…”— Rucker, M. (2023). The Fun Habit. pg. 221
“This was the book [I] needed after an exhausting year of teaching compounded by multiple moves. I was the walking definition of burnout. The information here helped me to change my perspective, and my only disappointment is having to wait so long to have a physical copy.”
“I found this book to be so refreshing! I have been battling cancer and read this book and [it’s] given me some perspective. I needed this book.”
I sincerely hope the book has a similar impact on you. If you haven’t had a chance to preorder The Fun Habit yet, you can do so here:
At the end of this newsletter, I share how you might be able to pick up a copy for free.
Dr. Samira Rajabi is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of Colorado who has focused a significant proportion of her research on how people grieve ambiguous traumatic events. She is a writer, authoring the book All of My Friends Live in my Computer: Tactical Media, Trauma and Meaning Making, as well as a popular speaker, including a TED Talk and other prominent keynotes. Our interview about trauma and ambiguous grief is available here.
Kirsten Anderson is an international keynote speaker and facilitator on the power of playfulness to improve innovation, wellness, culture, and team dynamics. She is also the founder of Integrate Play Solutions, a boutique training corporation working with organizational teams in diverse industries to help solve their messiest challenges using playful methods—the favorite being LEGO Serious Play. Our interview about work and play (and LEGO!) is available here.
I usually highlight an extraordinary life experience in this spot, but in the spirit of sharing the breadth of life this quarter, the above photo is from a quick trip to Las Vegas to be a guest on the Trialz podcast, where I made a pitstop at Vegas Indoor Skydiving. The photo below is right before sitting for a two-hour MRI in an attempt to help rule out multiple sclerosis.
My contribution this quarter went to a reserved investment in SuperBetter—a game-based intervention that helps people stay strong, motivated, and optimistic even in the face of change and difficult challenges. I also made my annual donation to the American Heart Association and donated to the Special Olympics Maryland.
Back to fun! I have some really cool things planned for all of us in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout. In the meantime, Goodreads is running a giveaway right now, offering up a free copy of The Fun Habit to 100 lucky winners. If you’re interested in learning more, you can do that here. (🤞 you win!)
Yours in fun,
Mike Rucker, Ph.D.
