WHAT’S “FUN” TO YOU?
Earlier this week the Boston Celtics hosted their annual Kids Day game. It was filled with special events and experiences designed exclusively for the NBA team’s younger fans, including a chance for aspiring reporters to participate in the postgame press conference. It was a simple but thought-provoking question from a young journalist - and an intriguing response from Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla - that got me thinking this week, and I hope can do the same for you.
Rusty Smith, reporting for Sports Illustrated Kids, asked, “How do you balance pushing players to improve while also keeping the game fun for them?” Mazzulla, known for his honest and often unfiltered approach to the media, responded bluntly. “I struggle with that, to be honest with you,” he replied. “I think everyone has a different definition of fun, and you have to find one together as a team.”
Mazzulla's response resonated with me. Everyone has a different definition of fun. That’s so true. That statement really speaks to the power of our perspective. It's an idea the early American author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau was trying to express when he said, “It’s not what you look at that matters; it’s what you see.” I think what he meant was that two people can look at the exact same experience, and yet see something totally different. That word “fun” is a perfect example. Your definition of fun might be way different than mine, but that’s the freedom and the power each of us possess. I get to decide what “fun” means to me, and you get to decide for you.
So the important question I'm asking you to consider today is, what's "fun" to you? There are many possible answers, but I'd argue that this is one of many ways those we consider champions set themselves apart. They have a way of seeing things differently. They think and act differently. And they define “fun” differently. To most people, “fun” means easy and effortless. It means flighty or foolish or frivolous. Champions, on the other hand, recognize that there’s a deeper level of fun that’s found in fulfillment. There's a sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with doing something difficult, and a level of enjoyment that comes with pursuing something meaningful and significant. That winning perspective allows them to enjoy the hard work that's in front of them today, and the process it takes to earn the success they say they're after.
The challenge for each of us is that while there are many different ways to define the word “fun,” not all of them are compatible with winning. Unfortunately, the things winning requires us to do are rarely easy or effortless. Take improvement, for instance, which was at the heart of that young reporter's question. Straining and striving and struggling is the only way to get better at anything worthwhile. You’ve got to put in the work, even on the days you don’t feel like it. You’ve got to focus your energy and attention on the task at hand, and eliminate any unnecessary distractions. You’ve got to give all you’ve got, over and over again each day, for only a small speck of improvement in return. That’s what it takes to get better in any meaningful area of life, including the ones that matter most to you. Am I saying the ones who win enjoy that kind of commitment? No. I'm saying the ones who enjoy that kind of commitment are the ones who often wind up winning.
It's worth taking a minute to consider if your definition of "fun" is compatible with the success you say you're after. If not, then I’d encourage you to embrace the freedom and power you’ve been given to change your perspective. Work on developing the mindset and approach it takes to appreciate the straining and striving and struggling. There is fulfillment and pride and satisfaction in doing something difficult, and enjoyment that comes with pursuing something meaningful and significant...if you recognize it. That's possible here today, but it requires a champion's perspective from you.
