Do It... Just for Fun

I once heard someone suggest that when you’re nervous about doing something, you should flip the script. Instead of thinking about everything that could go wrong, tell yourself you’re doing it just for fun.

I love this idea. It’s a little mind trick that takes the pressure off. You’re not trying to prove anything. You’re just curious to see what might happen.

And at this stage of my life, I could use more of that.

Small Town Alchemy started more than 15 years ago with me making tutus and hair clips. I loved dreaming up things, figuring out how to make them, and sharing them with people who appreciated my particular brand of enthusiasm. There was no grand master plan. I made things because I liked making things.

Fast forward to today. I’m 53, the tutus have given way to stickers, mugs, shirts, and stories about eccentric small-town characters, and I’m at something of a turning point. A few things happened this summer that made me take a hard look at where I want to put my time, energy, and enthusiasm in the next chapter.

And I’ve got ideas. Quite a few, actually. Naturally, I’d like to make them all happen by next Tuesday.

The problem is that urgency and joy aren’t always the best roommates. I can take something I absolutely love doing and, in about ten minutes, turn it into a high-stakes evaluation of my future. Will these stickers sell? Am I doing enough marketing? How many newsletter subscribers do I need?

That’s a lot of pressure to put on a three-dollar sticker.

Somewhere in all that calculating, I lose sight of why I started. I love the creative process. I love making things that make people laugh or feel seen. I love discovering some ridiculous little piece of Dexter history and deciding the rest of the world needs to know about it, too. I love the possibility that something I dreamed while walking my dogs might make a stranger smile.

I don’t want to lose that. Which brings me back to just for fun.

Instead of treating every idea like a test, I’m trying to treat it like an experiment. Mail someone a little envelope with a sticker and a story inside. Make a video, try a new product, put myself out there in a way that makes me a little nervous. Not because I know how it will turn out, but because I’m curious what I can get away with.

There’s something wonderfully mischievous about that. And frankly, I could use more mischief.

Maybe you could, too. Is there something you’ve talked yourself out of trying because you might look foolish, waste money, or discover you’re not particularly good at it? Or have you, like me, gotten so wrapped up in where you’re going that you’ve forgotten to enjoy what you’re doing along the way?

What if you didn’t need to know how it will all turn out before you permitted yourself to begin?

Here’s what I’m realizing: I can be ambitious without making everything an emergency. I can take my dreams seriously without taking myself quite so seriously. I’m not abandoning my big plans. I’m remembering that the joy of making things and connecting with people is the whole reason I started.

Joy isn’t just the reward waiting at the end. It’s what will give me the courage to get there.

Fun is just another way of saying brave.

So whatever you’ve been thinking about trying, consider this your invitation to lower the stakes and see what happens. 

Get the sticker >> HERE