This is a wonderful and quick article to read mid-day. A colleague introduced me to it and I thought it was worth sharing here.

It takes a long view, at one point looking at Puritan values in U.S. culture and how that has contributed to a sense that fun=not work and worry=work.

Here is my favorite paragraph:

“Worry isn’t work. Being stressed out isn’t work. Anxiety isn’t work. Entertaining a sense of impending doom isn’t work. Incessant internal verbal punishment isn’t work. Indulging the great unknown fear in your own mind isn’t work. Hating yourself isn’t work.”

The article reminds me of a line from Jack Jacobs, a friend and colleague that developed Real Time Strategic Change. In thinking about a major change effort that was coming up on the horizon, he asked, “if this were to actually be fun, how would you do it?”

I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did. If you have stories of struggle or tips on how to embrace the fun and pleasure in your work, please share.