The Serious Business of Having Fun Last week was one of the most memorable … and fun … weeks of my life.
Jules and I were in Rajasthan, India for the wedding of a good friend. I knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience … I just didn’t realise how extraordinary it would be.
From the chaos and colour of Delhi … to the wonder of the Taj Mahal … to the remote hills of Ajabgarh where the wedding took place … it was simply unforgettable.
There were 20 of us travelling together. Most of us had never met before. By the end of the trip, we were calling ourselves The Unforgettables .
And the wedding itself? Four events across two days, each one more joyful than the last.
There was a welcome lunch … a black-tie dinner … a Haldi ceremony where guests covered the bride and groom in turmeric as a symbol of blessing and protection … and a wild procession where we danced behind a DJ truck blasting Indian techno at full volume for ninety minutes before the ceremony even began.
Then came the wedding vows — seven sacred commitments, made hand in hand, walking round a fire as we threw rose petals in celebration.
It was profound.
It was spiritual.
And it was the best party I’ve ever been to.
It got me thinking …
The couple were doing something serious … lifelong commitments made in front of their community.
But it was all wrapped in joy, music, dance, colour, and incredible food.
It was more meaningful because it was fun.
I was on a coaching call yesterday with a client who was feeling the weight of some big goals. She was caught up in serious thinking.
So I asked her, “What if this could be fun?”
She paused … and something shifted. The pressure lifted. Fresh thinking came through.
Because fun unlocks possibility. Seriousness often shuts it down.
I know this from my own life.
For years, I believed that to be responsible … to get things right … I had to be serious.
The result? More stress. Less creativity. Eventually … burnout.
I even remember trying to teach my teenage son about money. I gave him what I thought was a wise and well-thought-out lesson about thinking carefully before making a purchase. After patiently listening, he looked at me and said:
“You’ve taken the fun out of it.”
That one stuck.
When I worked in the family retail business … when I trained as a therapist … when I started coaching … I brought that same seriousness into everything.
Business had to be serious. Success had to be serious. Money had to be serious.
Until I realised … it didn’t.
I started treating my life and work like a creative experiment. Fee increases became playful. Client creation became light. Trying things and failing became OK.
And the moment things became more fun … they also became more effective.
That wedding in India reminded me again:
Something can be sacred, powerful, and deeply important … and still be fun.
So let me ask you:
What are you holding too tightly?
Where have you made things so serious that the joy … the aliveness … the creativity is nowhere to be found?
How are you limiting yourself by believing that pressure is a requirement for performance?
What would happen if your business, your relationships … your whole life … became a fun creation that brought out the best in you and everyone around you?
What if that really was possible?
Call me. I may be able to help.
Much love,