FT: The definition of fun, counter-intutitve thinking, and TV subtitles
3 ideas for the weekend ahead.
Happy Friday,
This edition of forward thinking is a 3-minute read with ideas exploring:
The Definition of Fun
Counter-Intuitive Thinking
TV Subtitles (in one chart)
The Definition of Fun
I saw this interesting Ted Talk by Catherine Price on the importance of fun. I love the definition she gives.
Fun is the intersection between playfulness, flow, and connection.
It’s not an activity, it’s a feeling.
Last week, I was at a bar with newish friends. The topic was “the most scandalous thing our families or extended families” have ever done.
This launched each of us to share stories (connection) that led to banter (playfulness) and kept us engaged and not on our phones (flow).
I could feel we were all having a moment or feeling of fun.
If you do an activity and it’s not fun, check these 3 ingredients and adjust accordingly.
Counter-Intuitive Thinking
There is a classic episode of Seinfeld where George starts doing the opposite. For every life problem, he starts taking 180-degree action with positive results.
Surprisingly, there is truth to this concept. Counter-intuitive is all around us if we just look. A few examples I’ve been thinking about:
Rejecting your feelings makes things worse. There is a classic saying “What you resist, persists. Sitting with all your feelings ends being the better approach.
Hard choices make life easier while easy choices make it harder. Think about staying in a relationship or job longer than you should have. Quickly pulling the band-aid is always unless painful.
In a previous edition about sleep, I mentioned putting “effort” into falling asleep or staying in bed sounds reasonable but you are better off not trying and leaving your bedroom.
TV Subtitles
The younger you are, the more likely you turn on TV subtitles.
Thanks for reading!
Irfan
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