Don’t forget to have fun!
I was at an event last week performing magic. It was a corporate awards dinner and I was doing close up magic performing table to table. As is common with a lot of these type of events there were some very drunk people. There was one table in particular where everyone was very drunk.
On this table there was a lady who was quite mean. I introduced myself as a magician and just as I was about to perform she asked me a question. She asked;
“Why do you do magic. It’s a bit pathetic isn’t it?”
Now forget about the fact that this was a rude thing to say (she was drunk!). The key thing to take from here is she didn’t think as a magician that I had a proper job. This lady probably thought to be considered less pathetic I should be working in an office like she does. This is a common attitude, people think that magicians and performers don’t have real jobs. My dad, who has now passed
away told me almost every day he was disappointed with me, and that I should get a proper job instead of pretending to be a magician.
So the question is why am I writing about this experience in a blog? The reason is simple. As business owners we frequently forget to have fun. We get obsessed with turnover, sales targets, followers, balance sheets and everything else you need to focus on when running a business. We stay up all night and work ridiculous hours because it is ‘good for business’. But ask yourself a question.
When was the last time running a business was fun?
Some of you might be saying you have fun everyday and that’s great. However if you are truly honest with yourself I’m guessing that the majority of the people reading this focus more on working hard than having fun. And that’s a shame. Most people set up their own business because they love doing something and wanted to make a business out of it. However along the way they lose focus.
It’s a bit like the film Hook staring Robin Williams. In the film Peter Pan grows up and forgets about
Never, Never Land. He forgets how to fly and how to be Peter Pan. He works all day every day and doesn’t really enjoy his life. It’s only when he remembers how to have fun that he becomes Peter Pan again. This leads to him reconnecting with his family and basically becoming a better person.
I run several businesses and spend a lot of time in my office. However I have never lost sight of why I became a magician in the first place. I love magic, I love performing and I find it fun. I love putting a smile on peoples faces and making their day a little more enjoyable. It’s why no matter how busy I get I will always continue to be a performer.
You only get one shot at life. This is not a trial run and you get a do-over afterwards. This is it. When I am 90 years old (and hopefully still alive) I want to look back and on my life fondly. I want to remember all the fun I had and how much I enjoyed going to work. I don’t want to look back with regret. I don’t want to look back wondering why I spent so long doing something I hated when I could have done something way more enjoyable.
Those balance sheets that keep you up all night. Those tasks that you hate but you spend all day doing. Whatever it is do you really think when you are 90 any of it will matter? Or do you think you wished you had spent more time enjoying what you do?
I’m not saying don’t work hard. I’m saying have fun doing it. If you look at your life and your business and you aren’t enjoying yourself, then do something about it. Try to remember why you went into business in the first place. Try to remember that feeing you had when you decided you were going to run your own company. Do you still have that feeling now?
When the drunk lady asked me why I do magic I simply told her.
“I’m my own boss. I work my own hours. Its very well paid. I love what I love to do and I have fun every day”
What would you say if a drunk lady asked you why you do what you do?
Thanks for reading.
