Have fun with what we do to be successful.

We all have an idea of what fun is, but in the work context it may not fit. Having a good time, enjoying ourselves, even laughing, can be aspects of our work as well, yes. And not only that, they can be decisive in achieving success in this one. But not the only ones.

Fun, fun

That amuses or makes the time pass in a cheerful and entertaining way. (Oxford Languages)

Recreation is the use of time in a planned manner for the therapeutic refreshment of one’s body or mind. While leisure is more a form of entertainment or rest, fun involves active participation, but in a refreshing and joyful way. (Wikipedia)

First, be clear about what “success” in the workplace means to us.

We will address this aspect in another article, but it is important to be clear that each of us can, and should, have well defined what success is and, also, when we will know if we have achieved it. Here are some examples. Do you identify with any of them? With several?

Job success for me is…

• To have a certain monthly (or annual) remuneration.
• Working in a professional category/position or performing specific jobs.
• To be a recognized professional in my company, team, industry, etc.
• Reconciling my professional life with my personal and family life.
• Traveling and getting to know new countries, cultures and people while I work.
• Continuously learning new knowledge, skills, etc., while working.
• To bring new solutions to my clients/users with my work.

And we could go on!

Having fun at work for success

If we are clear about what success is for us, and what evidence we will need to know that we are on track to achieve it (or have achieved it), then we can focus on whether and how we can have “fun” doing the work to achieve it.

Not all jobs are “fun” in the sense of joy, of laughing, true; but if we analyze the above definitions, we find concepts related to fun that we can surely apply to our work. Shall we see it?

If we work with the end customer…

Customer service is not always easy. We all have our own “mood” every day, and sometimes unexpected “shocks” can occur. However, caring for others offers significant challenges, such as:

• improve our ability to satisfy as many people as possible. It often happens that “tough” (demanding) customers are the ones who help us to improve the most. Who is “easier” to change?
• Increase our creative capacity to find out what our customer needs, and provide it to them.
• Work on our negotiation skills to close sales.
• Increase our knowledge of what we offer to answer any customer’s questions and even better advise them.

In this context “having fun” could be: learning skills, expanding our creativity, relating… In addition to getting to know ourselves better, what we are capable of. And we could go on!

If we work with “machines”…

Working with machines, or similar, and not so directly with people, also offers possibilities for fun.

• Increase our knowledge of the mechanism, so that we can resolve as many incidents as possible, improve its performance and results.
• Investigate application possibilities of that machine for other functions, services or products, so that we can increase its productivity.
• Improve our ability to manage them, so that we can improve the quality of the products obtained, or the service provided. This is particularly important for reducing customer complaints, for example.

In this context “having fun” would be: learning, investigating new areas, improving our skills… And no doubt, we could also continue.

If we work creating…

In this last example, among many others we could give, we are referring to those who work with their minds for music, campaigns, etc. It is undoubtedly a course that offers many options for fun.

• Research other works or resources for new ideas.
• Learn skills and how to use instruments (musical, working with materials, etc.) to create new works.
• To create new concepts, hitherto non-existent, in the field of work.

In this section “fun” can be understood in many ways: as research and learning, creation in its purest state, experimentation. And also, we could continue to go deeper.

And so much for this story with which we have shared some thoughts about “success at work” and how to achieve it. There are many ways to “have fun” doing our work, and if we succeed, we will be on our way to achieving “success”. And always, with good disposition, commitment and eagerness to improve.

“People rarely succeed unless they are having fun with what they are doing.”

Dale Carnegie