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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Power of Fun summary
Catherine Price
How to Feel Alive Again
26 mins
Table of Contents
The Power of Fun
summarized in 6 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 6
True Fun occurs when playfulness, connection, and flow coincide.
When Catherine Price started looking for a definition for this overused three-letter word, fun, she found it rather elusive. And perhaps surprisingly, she also found a dearth of research on the subject. So she set out to develop her own terminology and definitions, starting with True Fun.
Through a process of analysis of her own experiences and those of over 1,500 volunteers from various backgrounds across the globe, she concluded that we experience True Fun when playfulness, connection, and flow occur at the same time. OK, that’s all well and good, but . . . what exactly are they?
Playfulness is what you experience when you do something just for the sake of doing it. You’re not looking for a particular outcome or reward. You’re carefree, smile and laugh, and feel completely free of your responsibilities.
You feel connection when you share a special experience with another person, but you could also feel connected to nature, the activity itself, or a pet, for example.
And you know the saying “time flies when you’re having fun”? Well, that’s when you’re experiencing flow. You’re so engrossed in what you’re doing in the present moment that you simply forget time.
Now, if you experience any one of these or a combination of two of them, you’ll undoubtedly feel a whole range of positive emotions – joy, happiness, and satisfaction, for example – but when all three occur at the same time? That’s when the True Fun begins.
True Fun is electric. It can be a fleeting moment soon forgotten, or it can be longer and reside in your memory for the rest of your life. But however long it lasts, True Fun is an experience. It’s an energy that exists in the present moment. As cliché as it might sound, it makes you feel alive.
So now we know what True Fun is, it’s much easier to see what it’s not.
Think for a moment about the many things you do that are passive, like reading a book, watching Netflix, or going to a concert. These activities may be relaxing or thrilling, even educational or satisfying. And they’re absolutely not a waste of your time. But unless there’s playfulness, connection, and flow – for example, the singer at the concert really connects with the audience, or you sing and dance along with your friend – chances are you’re a passive consumer. And that simply saps time and energy from pursuing True Fun.
And there are a few other things you should look out for, too.
Distraction is the greatest True Fun killer. When you’re distracted your attention is divided and you won’t experience flow. Not only that, your playfulness and connection are compromised when you’re distracted, too.
Judgment is also a major buzz-kill. When you stop to evaluate what you’re doing, you step out of the moment and are no longer in flow.
And when none of the three elements of True Fun is present? Well, it’s probable that you’re not enjoying yourself at all.
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What is The Power of Fun about?
The Power of Fun (2021) explains why fun is fundamental to living a happy and healthy life and how to have more of it. Not just any old fun but True Fun – the kind of fun that makes you laugh, smile, and feel alive!
Who should read The Power of Fun?
- "True Fun" seekers
- Introverts who want to become fun magnets
- Anyone who wants SPARKs to fly
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