I’m going to make a bold statement here:
You need fun in your life.
You’re probably thinking “That’s a bold statement?”
It is.
When you’re an entrepreneur, it can feel like climbing an infinitely high mountain.
It’s like that old episode of the Simpsons where Homer climbs the Murderhorn
When he finally reaches what he thinks is the peak, there is another, much higher summit right over the ledge.
When you work for yourself, there is always more work that can be done.
There is always another level to reach.
There is always more to do.
It’s not like being an employee, where you clock out at the end of the day.
As an entrepreneur, you’re always on the clock and that can become exhausting.
Recently, I’ve been feeling burnt out. Despite my apparent success and good fortune, I just felt dull.
I have a lot to be thankful for. What’s happening with Manaverse right now is pretty much everything I dreamed of nearly a decade ago when I started working on the podcast and the website, back when it was all just a vague idea to help game store owners with their business.
Despite the success I’ve had with the summit over the past year, and the recent launch of the Manaverse Marketing Agency, I just wasn’t as jazzed as I used to be.
That was until yesterday.
I’ve been working on a presentation called How to Grow Your Game Store With Digital Marketing Over The Next 90 Days, and I’ve been finding it a challenge to write.
Not because the subject is hard. I’ve seen firsthand the results a solid digital strategy can produce for game stores.
But simply because of a feeling of resistance towards the project.
And then something magical happened.
I turned off all the distractions, put my ass in the chair, started to write, and find myself enjoying it.
I was having fun.
I stopped worrying about the outcome, and began to just enjoy the process.
By the time bedtime rolled around, I found myself in a great mood. Something I hadn’t really been feeling for weeks maybe.
I finally realized what was missing from what I was doing. It took me so long to put my finger on it that I feel kind of stupid for not figuring it out sooner.
The work is important, but when your nose is to the grind stone all the time it can become extremely easy to forget about being happy.
To actually enjoy what your doing.
So make sure you have some fun today.
For some people, celebrating whenever they reach the next summit is enough. Looking back on what you’ve accomplished and being proud of it, and if that works for you definitely do it.
If you’ve just expanded your game store, take some time to appreciate it. Celebrate with your team, have a party, share some laughs. Have a good time.
Moved to a new location? Biggest sales day of the year? Featured in your local news? Same deal. Take some time to celebrate and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
The work (and the next summit to mount) will still be there tomorrow.
But for me, I think it’s more important to dance a little bit on the way up.
Find the activities that intrinsically bring you joy and incorporate more of that into your day.
For me, one of my favourite things is having conversations with game store owners and just talking shop for a little bit, so I’m going to make having those conversations more of a priority.
I like writing about what I know so I’m going to do stuff like this more often too.
I’m going to pay more attention to the things that make me feel energized rather than drained and be more intentional about filling my day with them.
That way I can keep giving my best to my clients and my family, and maybe live a good life while I’m at it.