It’s possible to take something seriously and still have fun at it. –Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards

What a glorious adventure at Funland!  For those who are not familiar, Funland is an old-school amusement park coupled with carnival games located on the boardwalk of Rehobeth Beach, Delaware.  Since 1962, Funland has provided generations of families good clean fun for children of all ages!

This week, I had the pleasure of taking my teenage son, two of his friends and my nephew, along with my younger daughter and three of her friends.  Not much has changed since I first stepped into the “Haunted Mansion” in its inaugural summer in 1979.  And that is a beautiful thing!

It was incredible to see adults laughing like children, teenagers laughing like children and children laughing like children, all on the same rides I used to enjoy when I was little.  The tradition bonded everyone together across generations, all in the pursuit of one common goal.  Fun!

And couldn’t we all use a little more fun in our own lives?

Life is About Experiencing Emotion

Pursuing our passion requires hard work and enormous sacrifice.  There are countless hours preparing for a big client presentation.  Sleepless nights researching and composing a client brief.  Gut-wrenching moments getting our business off the ground.  Painful workouts preparing us for a championship.  Our lives can quickly morph into an endless grind.  With so much at stake, the joy can quickly drain away from our goals and dreams.

But we have to step back and realize that life is also about experiencing emotion.  Fear, anxiety, and heartache?  Sure.  But also, unbridled joy and fun!  We don’t always have to take ourselves so seriously.  We don’t always have to obsess about the competition, our employees, or our results.  We need to put in the work and stay focused.  But what good is achieving success if we don’t enjoy ourselves along the way?

A Little Fun Goes a Long Way

And the same is true in our personal lives.  Parenting requires discipline and a measured approach.  Friendship demands heart-to-heart talks and sage advice.  Relationships require tough negotiations and enormous patience.  But we can’t lose sight of the incredible upside of these meaningful bonds.  All the sacrifice and turmoil is worth it if we are able to establish a true connection.  That connection manifests itself through laughter, joy, and the sharing of incredible moments of accomplishment.  And we can’t get to this glorious place without stepping back and having a little good, clean, fun!

It’s not about shirking our responsibilities.  It’s not about ignoring the work and taking shortcuts.  We have to take our goals seriously.  We have to cherish and sacrifice for our closest relationships.  Sometimes, it will not go our way.  We will get in scraps.  We will lose.  We will be on the wrong side of a bad decision.  Sometimes, laughter is the furthest thing from our minds.  Life is not always one big Tea Cup ride!

Laughter Breeds Resilience

But life shouldn’t be a constant battle.  Resilience allows us to move forward even when our backs are against the wall.  Even when victory is a faint dot on the horizon.  Even when the storm clouds come rolling in.  Keeping a healthy perspective in these dark times will sustain us.  Making sure laughter and fun are never outside our reach will give us hope.  Taking a step back to belly laugh and let ourselves go, even just for an instant, will give us the strength to withstand any rough patch.

Sometimes we have to throw our hands up and let our stomach drop.  Sometimes, we have to scream in unbridled joy.  Sometimes, we have to let loose and carve out the time to be kids once again.

Sometimes, we could all use a little trip to Funland.