F: Fun--the work of play

Why wait for Halloween to be Batman?

Pediatric health care can be a serious business, but kids won’t put up with that for long. They make the best patients because the work of children is play. Their job is to grow and learn how to be semi-normal  somewhat responsible adults.

How do they do it? Through interacting with their world by playing. They want the adults around them to be fun too. You can’t just look at their ears. You have to find dinosaurs or Spiderman. They’re more cooperative when you let them blow on their brother instead of just taking a deep breath. Be careful asking them to blow out birthday candles, unless you have time for the story of their birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.

            Now I know all this won’t necessarily translate to grown up things—I mean, who wants their gyn looking for SpongeBob, right?—but children remind us that life is fun and even work can be play. They’re resilient, not jaded by life experiences. Even those who go through the worst of times will play when given the chance.

Why spend thousands of dollars and invest a lot of time in something you won’t enjoy? Even if you did, why stay doing it if it makes you miserable? And yet we still think of work as a four letter word. When did we forget the playing part of work?  

Fun isn’t playing around all day, though. It can be overdone, especially in the practical joke realm. There are times when a more serious attitude is called for. I have to say, the best jokes at work came at the unexpected times.  

            How can you be more fun without being unprofessional?

1. Think about the jokes and make them meaningful. If a co-worker has to come in everyday and fix their desk then it stops being funny.

2. Post funny cartoons.

3. Send random notes or cards to people, especially those that fit a situation at work. Send them anonymously and let them figure out who it came from.

4. Laugh when things are funny, especially if it happens to you. Weird stuff happens.

5.  Have an Easter egg hunt--our office has enjoyed it this week!

The number one thing you can do to have fun at work is be passionate about what you do. You won’t always like it and sometimes work is hard, but if you believe in it, you’ll enjoy what you do. On most days, you’ll have fun doing it.

What do you do to have fun at work?