Having Fun Yet?

Are you having fun?  This isn't a trite question - I'm serious.  Are you having fun on this program?  You may not be having fun EVERY day (I certainly had days when I wasn't having any fun at all), but overall, do you enjoy being on this program?  Are you having fun?

Before you think I've totally lost my mind, let me explain.  Over time, we will continue to do the things that we enjoy and find it very difficult to sustain activity that we don't.  Unless we are uber-disciplined (something that escapes the majority of us, including me), we just won't continue to do things over time that we don't enjoy.

My brother sent me a link to a short video that brilliantly illustrates the difference fun can make.   Individuals at a train station in Sweden noticed that most people took the escalator with very few opting for the stairs, so they wondered if they could get more people to choose the stairs by making it fun to do so.  They hired a group of engineers who turned the stairs into a piano keyboard, complete with sound for each note on the keyboard.  As a result, 66% more people than normal chose the stairs over the escalator.  They concluded that fun can obviously change behavior for the better.  Here's a link to the video, in case you want to watch it:  http://www.thefuntheory.com/piano-staircase.

Sometimes we have to look for the fun - it may not show up as an engineer-designed piano staircase :-).  Choosing activity we enjoy will keep us moving and active over the long-run because most of us won't continue to engage in an exercise routine we hate.  We can even enjoy being on plan if we recognize how much better we feel, both physically and mentally, eating six small meals a day and reclaiming control of our health.  And yes, it IS fun to feel (and look) better!

Look for ways to have fun today!   If we're looking for the fun, we're more likely to find it.  One of the choices we get to make every day is our attitude.   Choose wisely :-)