(Con)Fidence
Posted: November 18, 2013 Filed under: Random Workout, Yoga | Tags: Belize, blogging, compassion, exercise, family, fitness, flow, free range, freshly pressed, friends, fun, gluten free, happiness, health, hope, intensity, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, pilates, recovery, running, trail running, whole foods, writing, yoga 12 CommentsConfidence is ignorance. If you’re feeling cocky, it’s because there’s something you don’t know-
After many years of “coaching” and helping other cool and inspiring folks, I am often struck by their relationship with fun. When we first meet, they often talk at great length about training plans, intensity, goals, effort and lastly they mention: “this needs to be fun.”
I have a problem with Fun.
Fun (when used above), conveys a sense of a trivial and purposeless living. Fun … Is hedonistic. My definition of fun does not seem to sit right with many people who are engaged in uber-competitive activities and have a competitive mindset. There is no magical switch you can flip, then manage to stumble into a yoga studio one afternoon to “center” yourself. Fun is a lazy vacation, sipping mojito’s on a white sand beach in Belize, not an early morning wind sprint session and killing the weights before bed.
Should we abandon the idea of “fun” all together? Nope, I just ask that you think about “fun” in a different light, a different Sense …
Daily Meditation:
All aspects of our lives ought to be enjoyable, interesting word(s): Enjoyable, Enjoyment, Enjoy.
My definition of fun? Is “enjoyment.”
CultFit 
I enjoy my accomplishments, I feel a sense of well-being after I work out. I really like the feeling I get after I put a good deal of work into something and then stand back to see the results. But fun? Not so much.
Do you find enjoyment in what you are doing, that’s what I ask people to consider. If you don’t find running enjoyable? Let’s keep working until we find something you do …
This is my different sense 🙂
I do enjoy running, when I’m feeling well. But when I don’t feel well, I don’t enjoy working out. But not working out makes me feel worse. So no, sometimes I don’t enjoy it and simply do it as a means to an end. But by and large I love it.
You would pass my litmus test friend … During ultra/marathon training during the spring I’ll take a runner out (I ride a bike lol) and we keep running until a smile appears on their face, and the sheer joy of simply running and being carefree sets in. Anne, one lady I help – this happens in the first few steps. Mark – takes about 20 miles … The whole bloviated point of this post is to tap into what you thoroughly enjoy, mindfully. If you bitch, moan or struggle your way through a marathon or a workout? Why do it the first place?
Amen to that! My point, and I believe yours too, is that “fun” doesn’t always weigh in. But awesomeness is mandatory. And the bitching? Seriously? Shut up and run or go sit on the couch!
That’s my definition too…along with sipping mojitos. Great post, you always shed a new light on my fitness and wellbeing.
This is a difficult topic for me to write about. Now, if we were having a few drinks on the other hand … I’ve been thinking about this today and trying to sum all my thoughts up into one word, one action: Smiling. 🙂 That’s it! Smiling …
Ahhh is it always fun? AKA Enjoyable.
Workouts? No. Sometimes I don’t enjoy nor do I have fun – but I FEEL better. It helps pull me out of a funk. So while not FUN. It is good for me, good for my heart, good to clear my mind.
Sometimes though I find myself going from that mood to ENJOYMENT, its usually then when I find myself truly enjoying the movement and I add my little burst of ME to the moment 😉 Of course the mojito…. ? hehe
Its a pretty cool feeling when we let our true selves shine through in any given moment!
I understand what you are saying here but also realize that I often am commenting that I need to be creating more fun in my life. And perhaps it is really enjoyment I am seeking. My life has been way too intense and stressful for too long. Perhaps there is room for both enjoyment and fun at the same time!
I believe there is a balance between fun and enjoyment. A simple walk, for me, embodies my true spirit. Granted it only took 36+ years to rediscover this fact … I often talk about kids and their carefree attitude. Next time you pass a playground, stop for a moment and watch as the kiddos run around, enjoying themselves – having fun. Chances are you won’t see any little ones holding back a smile, a cheer or a laugh – yet as adults, we do this each and every day – holding back our true selves. We can learn a lot about life watching kids play. 🙂
Yes, I agree…and…kids are just having fun, which is why I feel that the adults you reference in your post are saying, they want it to be fun, but seemed to not like that word fun and prefer enjoyment as the word to describe it 🙂