During a conversation with my friend Hali the other day I was describing some silly things I do to challenge myself during the course of the day.

For example, I have Keurig® machine in my kitchen to heat water for tea. I put my cup in place to catch the water, push the button to heat the water, and while that process is happening, I go across the room to where my tea bags are stored. Each one of the bags is individually wrapped, so I have to unwrap it and come back across the room to put it in the cup. The challenge is to get the tea bag unwrapped and into the cup before the first drop of water falls. I told you it was silly.

I described this and other frivolous rituals I do as “contests” and claimed that by doing them on a regular basis, they trained me to act more quickly in other areas of life. We can debate if my theory is valid or not, but that’s not the road my friend went down.

She said she does similar challenges but calls them “games.”

It struck me that there is an air of seriousness around the word “contest” vs. the fun that is connoted by the word “games.” The discovery for me was that I wasn’t enjoying my contests as much as she was enjoying her games. She was taking pleasure in her endeavors and I was taxing myself by testing and measuring my skills.

The larger discovery for me is how we approach situations in life and how that approach affects our state of mind and mood.

I could be having more fun during my day rather than having them populated by tension filled rituals that I succeed or fail at.

Our conversation brought to mind the popular axiom, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

The overarching message for me and, perhaps, you is this: Be less serious in your approach to life (unless you’re a bomb defuser). Make it more fun and games rather than a contest that is a mental drain.

All the best,

John

Listen to the recorded version below.