Discovering New Ways to Have FUN
Last week, I got to belt it out as the lead singer in a cover rock band. While I know this may sound like a bad nightmare to some of you, for me, it’s absolutely life-giving. Playing music with others lights me up to no end. Throw in the awesome energy and adrenaline that comes from sharing that music with an excited and engaging audience? True bliss for me.
I have no doubt my love for this comes at least in part from growing up in a musical family where playing and performing together were just “normal” activities. As a classically trained flutist, I’m no stranger to performing on stages, either. Still, I didn’t truly embrace (or even discover) my love and ability to lead a rock band until well into adulthood. And it didn’t happen without some stumbles, or raised eyebrows from others, or a shift in my own sense of identity for myself. It can be hard starting something new as an adult! Especially something that challenges a piece of how others view you or how you view yourself.
From the day we’re born up until our early twenties or so, learning and changing is a huge part of our lives. We’re constantly growing and having fun discovering who we are and what we like. It’s easy to do since we’re in a school environment, where kids are forced to learn even if they don’t want to (just ask a middle schooler.) Plus, you’re expected to try on different hats, and evolve. But, as we drive deeper and deeper into “adulting,” where there aren’t as many pitstops encouraging this same level of learning or growing, we can tend to get stuck in a rut. We can get to a point where we feel like we are just who we are, and that’s the end of that.
Of course, I’m not being completely fair here. We do live in a day and age where there actually are lots of opportunities to continue learning well into adulthood. Podcasts, books, TEDTalks… There’s plenty of “personal growth” type stuff out there. But, let’s be honest with ourselves - even though you are technically learning and growing through things like that, are you actually having that same childhood feeling of FUN with those discoveries?
And so, my question to you this week is just that: When was the last time you had fun reinventing something about yourself?
In your journaling, I encourage you to go on a little deep dive to uncover something you think would be fun and exciting to learn or try. Ask yourself what’s something you dream could be part of you or your life that you haven’t felt like you could embrace for whatever reason.
Maybe there’s a skill you’ve always wished you had. Or a hobby you’ve enviously watched others enjoy. Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a book. Or work toward opening a coffee shop. Maybe it’s much simpler than that - perhaps you find you just want to switch up your clothing style a bit. New hair color, anyone? Or, maybe there’s something brewing inside you that you’re not even aware of yet. And of course, this list will look different for everyone. As I already established, my definition of “fun” could very well be somebody else’s worst nightmare.
Whether it’s a total reinvention, or a little toe dip into a new adventure, what could you start doing to bring back that same fun in discovery that you had growing up? Your journal prompts this week will help you start exploring all of this and more!
Happy Journaling!