I love New Year’s resolutions. So much. I love sitting and reflecting and evaluating and researching and goal setting. It’s glorious. With three active kids, a wedding photography business, a new house that is in need of love in every. single. room. and a few too many volunteer commitments, resolutions help me get organized and walk into at least the next 30 days with a plan. I’m focused on purpose and productivity, and I love figuring out how I can make the next year or month or week even better than before. But somewhere along the way, I’ve convinced myself that the only measure of “better” is “more productive.” Get more done. Accomplish more faster. Wake up earlier. Multi-task even more. There’s nothing wrong with being productive, and I don’t plan to stop striving, but…. I think I may have forgotten how to have….. fun.
Maybe just a little.
A few examples of my un-fun mentality in recent years:
* In college, I moved across the state to a new city during my junior year, took a full load of classes, got a job that was 30 hrs/week and moved in with a super social group of girls. After a month of this, I thought to myself, “I’m not really that busy between the hours of 11pm and 2am. I probably should be doing something that will make me some extra money.” So I got a job at Old Navy unloading the trucks full of new merchandise. Spoiler alert…. that didn’t last very long. My arms were not long enough to wrap around the boxes. And I should have been sleeping during those hours.
* I remember one 4th of July, I cheered for joy because my family would be heading out midday to hang with our extended family for the day and into the evening for fireworks, and I could skip the entire shebang to stay home and get caught up editing summer weddings without paying for a babysitter. That was productive. And dumb and un-fun. Totally regret that.
*One year for Thanksgiving, I celebrated by starting a Whole30 that lasted until Christmas. No sugar. No bread. No cheese. No joy. So un-fun.
*Cancelled dinner plans with friends? amazing… more time to fold laundry!
* Everyone wants to go to the amusement park? perfect. I can skip it and finish painting the kids’ bedrooms while everyone is gone.
This is the theme for me. And it’s not fun.
I saw a Ted Talk recently that featured Simone Giertz. Have you heard of her? She has a YouTube channel devoted to making useless inventions. Completely useless. I think it’s called “Shitty Robots.” She made a helmet that brushes her teeth. And pair of drones that could cut her hair. Needless inventions with no aspirations for selling her inventions or becoming famous… she does it just for the fun of it. After struggling with severe performance anxiety, she found that making something that purposefully served no purpose took all the pressure off, and she was able to ENJOY creating solely for the sake of creating. Just for fun. That felt sobering to me.
So this year, although I have SO many ambitions and goals for productivity, I want to purposely have fun. For fun’s sake. I want to join in the fun. I want to create some fun (I’m a FIVE on the enneagram… so that’s a challenge for me). And every month, I plan to do something that sounds fun to me. * For the record, I do NOT think that laundry is fun.*
For January, my fun thing involves YOU. I want to just give away a bunch stuff. That sounds fun to me. You’ve seen those top NINE posts on Instagram? Well, I’m taking a different spin on things and giving away my TOP NINE favorite things. (Well within reason, of course. My actual very favorite thing is a massage at the four seasons beachside in Maui… that’s prob not going to be a giveaway.) But I do think January is just kind of tired and dreary and sleepy and financially un-fun… that post-holiday bank account is just depressing. So I’m going to hopefully bring some fun to YOU by giving away my TOP NINE fave things. I plan on giving away a membership to my favorite gym, a new Patagonia coat, the BEST mascara ever, and gift cards to my fave stores, just to name a few :). This actually sounds super fun! So be on the lookout! I’ll be giving things away on Instagram starting TOMORROW. Make sure to follow me on Instagram at @lisahesselphotography so you can get in on all the free faves.
Happy new year friends. Get out there and have FUN!
Woohoo! Yay for fun!!