Fun

On today’s Tough Love for Business podcast, hosts Mike McKay and Jackie Zach discuss the importance of having fun in business. They emphasize the need to approach business with a mindset that sees it as enjoyable and competitive, like a game. Mike explains that our perception of work as tedious is a choice, and by reframing it, we can find joy and success. He highlights the significance of learning from challenges and using those lessons to swing back towards success. Jackie supports this by stressing the importance of thinking time for business owners to reflect and strategize.

The hosts also underscore the benefits of choosing an easier, well-lit path in business, surrounded by a strong support team. They argue that while obstacles are inevitable, having a clear, enjoyable route with visible challenges is far better than navigating through a dark, difficult path. This approach not only makes business more fun but also offers a competitive edge. They conclude by encouraging listeners to adopt a fun mindset and seek guidance to overcome obstacles effectively, ultimately leading to a more successful and enjoyable business journey.

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Check out this episode!

Podcast Transcript

Mike McKay: Welcome to the Tough Love for Business podcast. Today’s topic is fun. I love it. My name is Mike McKay, and I’m here with Jackie Zach, my co-host. What’s up, Jackie?

Jackie Zach: Hey, I love fun. If I could, I’d have fun all the time.

Mike: How do you have fun in business?

Jackie: First of all, you have to think it’s fun. You start by thinking it’s fun, and the journey becomes fun. Another way to look at it is as a game—a game to win. You keep score, you’re competitive, and in your industry, you’re dominating.

Mike: Right. High skill, repetition, success—all the things that make a game fun also exist in business. We often say business is the greatest game in the world, and we get to play it in the best place on the planet. I was thinking the other day, after talking to my coach Bruce Wilson, about why it’s so easy to see the workday as work instead of fun. It’s like the default decision is, “Oh, it’s work.” Yet, we know intellectually that everything is neutral until we give it meaning. We assign emotions to our activities randomly. Emotions don’t happen to us; we choose them. Life happens for us, not to us, and it continually teaches us lessons for success. Business and success in life are like a pendulum—the farther you swing into stress and failure, the bigger the swing back to success, but only if you learn the lessons. Even though we know all this intellectually, we still say, “This sucks.”

Or the classic, “This should not be happening to me; it should be easy.” We think just using the word “should” changes something, but it doesn’t. It should be exactly the way it is until you learn the lesson. Something you’re doing or not doing causes the feeling of “this shouldn’t be happening.” If you focus on that, the Law of Attraction will give you more of what you don’t want because you’re not focusing on how to succeed in this area.

Jackie: This is why thinking time in business is so important. Business owners need to consider and think about these things, right?

Mike: Yeah, and the best book for that is “The Road Less Stupid” by Keith Cunningham. It’s like the world’s best cheat sheet for taking time in business. The risk is that someone is out there with a competitive edge, clear on their unique selling proposition, culture, and has all the employees they want. They take lessons as fast as they can get them, and they’re coming for you. Business is an infinite game with no ending point. The goal is to continue to play, to reach your dreams, goals, and an amazing life. Or, it can be the opposite if you choose the hard path. Of course, it’s not fun if you choose the hard path.

Jackie: Right, or if you choose to wallow in self-pity. Learn the lesson and move on.

Mike: Part of the lesson is that there are obvious shortcuts to being successful, right in front of you. We’re a coaching company, and we’ve grown from being a 1% company to a 3% company. This means 97 out of 100 people still don’t see these shortcuts. They stand at a fork in the road: to the left, there’s a sunny, clear path; to the right, a “Do Not Enter” sign and a dark, damp cave of unhappiness and bitterness. Most competitors choose the cave.

Having the right team—your attorney, banker, coach, insurance agent—is crucial. I recently talked to Paul Pulaski from Republican Insurance, and he showed me I was massively underinsured in some areas, which I wouldn’t have known on my own. I was skeptical, thinking it can’t be that easy, but it is.

If you take the bright, shiny street, there are still challenges. However, the road is lit and dry, so you can navigate them more easily. In the dark cave, you fall into holes because you can’t see them.

Business should be fun if you take the easy path with visible obstacles you can navigate. It’s like a Spartan Race: it looks tough, but people have fun and help each other. That’s the same in business. You can take the easy path with help, or jump into the cave and just hope. The tunnel is long, dark, wet, and dingy. It’s hard work to get through it.

Jackie: Absolutely. Focusing on business being fun is also a competitive edge. When hiring employees, a fun approach reflects in the culture and employees, versus slogging through and reflecting that struggle.

Mike: People want pressure. Life with no obstacles is boring. It’s great to have obstacles in your business growth journey, but it’s even better if they’re out in the light where you can work on them. In a pitch-black cave, you can’t see them and may come up against something solid that could knock you down.

Jackie: Right. Choose fun over the dark cave.

Mike: Take the path where it’s visible. You’ll still have challenges, but you might as well enjoy them. Humans need some stress in their life—not anxiety and fear, but problem-solving stress. Your brain wants to participate in your life, so make it as easy as possible for that to lead to success.

Jackie: Exactly.

Mike: That’s what fun is about.

Jackie: And the first thing you can do is choose that your business is fun. Start there.

Mike: And surround yourself with shortcuts. The right guides can help you. Stop complaining about how hard it is when you’re trying to do it on your own. That’s a poor decision. Most people make it, but if you want to thrive and play the game at a high level, take the sunny path where you can see the obstacles and get over them with help.

Jackie: Right. It’s so much easier and more fun. And when you overcome those obstacles, you have something to celebrate.

Mike: Exactly. Join us next time when we talk about the Law of Attraction/Connection. Until then, have a great day, everybody.