What a ride! I’m full of gratitude for all of you who have supported The Fun Habit. As I take the project in for a landing, I have a quick favor to ask. As someone who values your opinion, I’d be truly grateful if you could take a few moments to share your thoughts about my book on Amazon. By sharing your insights, you’re not just helping me, but you’re also helping others discover a book that could impact their lives in a meaningful way.
To leave a review, head over to Amazon either in your browser or mobile device and search for The Fun Habit.* After you click on the book’s product page, the link to ‘ratings and reviews’ will appear right below my name. Clicking there will take you further down the page. Then find and click on the gray “Write a customer review” button on the left side of the screen (on a mobile browser, it’s a centered “Write a review” button). Lastly, leave your honest review. It doesn’t need to be long—just a couple of sentences are all that’s needed.
A simple method to make space for fun
I’ve been asked a lot lately, “What is something I can do today to start having more fun?” A strategy I’ve been impressed with (regarding its immediate impact) is creating a transition ritual from work to home. It is an easy yet very effective way to create the psychological shift needed to become aware that we generally have more control over our nonwork time than we think. Creating healthy boundaries in this way acts as a mental switch that helps you release the stressors of the day and aids in facilitating the “space” that too many of us trick ourselves into thinking we don’t have.
If you don’t have a clean break from your workday, try finding one and see how it fits. Examples of a transition ritual include something as straightforward as a short walk before you enter your house (or when the workday is done, if you are WFH). It could be a brief clearing meditation in your car. I even know of a couple that, when both finally make it home, turn on slow music and dance one song together as a way to ground themselves in time they want reserved for social connection. (Before the ritual, they both found they were essentially night attendants to the barrage of meaningless Slack notifications from their respective teams, which eight of ten times were lackluster meme shares anyway.)
Dr. Paul Zak is the director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, and co-founder of the first neuroscience-as-a-service (NaaS) company, Immersion Neuroscience. Dr. Zak developed a methodology called Ofactor that quantifies organizational culture and identifies how to continuously improve culture to increase trust, joy, and performance. He has authored four books, the latest one being Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness. Our interview about the power of oxytocin and how to elicit more of it can be read here.
Funmentum focuses on improving work culture by making fun an accessible medium for ideation. Through in-person facilitation and a novel online platform, they help teams bring forth and execute ideas that might never emerge otherwise. This quarter, I was lucky enough to speak with both their CEO, Paul Charney, and their head of braintending, Devin Multy. In our interview, we dig into how fun can be an amazing way to bring teams together and used in a way that forges creative solutions through inspiring curiosity and nonlinear thinking. You can read our interview about that here.
This quarter the call for life experience came in the form of a daughter-dad trip to Virginia Beach, Virginia. An amazing weekend, where Sloane scored her first gymnastic perfect 10, and helped her team win their division overall. We had a blast the entire time, both celebrating her and her teammates’ accomplishments, as well as exploring what Virginia Beach had to offer. I’ll leave out the part about managing the fallout from food poisoning on the four-hour drive home. Alas, any worthy adventure is not without risk. 😉🤮
The way I engaged in contribution this quarter is through monetary donations to the ComedyCures Foundation, TSP SOLO 2023, the American Cancer Society, and Augie’s Quest. Augie Nieto, the remarkable founder of Augie’s Quest, recently passed away after his courageous battle with ALS. Augie’s unwavering spirit and determination transformed the fight against this devastating disease, touching countless lives and inspiring hope in the hearts of many. He was the epitome of the message in chapter 11 of The Fun Habit, Fun Is a Force for Change. The impact of the fun-filled charity events that Augie and his wife Lynne created leaves an extraordinary legacy that will continue to uplift and empower the ALS community for generations to come.
As I venture into the final decade of the Live Life Love project, a major plot twist has emerged. Life always has a way of keeping things interesting. For now, let’s just be reminded to be grateful for the time we’ve got. If you think a visual tool might be useful in helping you do just that, feel free to make use of my Life Countdown Timer, accessible by clicking here.
Yours in fun,
Mike Rucker, Ph.D.
* P.S. I would give you the direct Amazon link, but I have been coached that if Amazon sees too many reviews that were directed from one source, it will sometimes stop them from becoming visible. Not fun!
P.P.S. As of this writing, Amazon is offering 15% off The Fun Habit hardback. If you’re someone who likes a good deal, and you haven’t gotten a copy yet, now’s a great time.
