When Lou Ella Jackson first became a trainer, she was aware of research indicating that people learn better when they're having fun. Taking the information to heart, she realized that she'd have to lighten up her presentations to make them more effective.
She admits it wasn't easy. "I came out of the financial industry which has a reputation for being very staid," says Jackson, the former president of the Chicago chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. "I was very comfortable with my serious professional persona, when suddenly I was confronted with the idea that I needed to make my seminars more fun."
The first time around, Jackson really had to psych herself up to be playful with seminar participants. "I told myself that it didn't matter if I looked stupid because I'd never see those people again, anyway," she says.
The ploy worked. The workshop was so successful (and so much fun for everyone) that she never returned to her more formal style. Even in her career-transition workshops, where many of her students are reeling from the trauma of job loss, she finds that making room for laughter and play eases their pain and anxiety. Picture her tossing a soft baseball around the class to "get the ball rolling" or tattooing gold stars to participants' notebooks in exchange for a good answer to a tough interview question. By the end, many participants have enjoyed experimenting with job hunting in the workshop so much that they can't wait to actually do it, says Jackson.
A Chicago psychologist goes one step further.
When she and a co-trainer rolled out a new career-development program for human resources professionals, the zany pair actively looked for ways to introduce fun into their sessions. Otherwise, they knew the 12-hour study days would be too intense.
One time, she brought a jack-o'-lantern to class as a Halloween treat. It was filled with candy bars, which she gave out as rewards for correct answers. More than a satisfying snack, the candy added an element of friendly competition that made the learning fun.
Then there were the squirt guns that participants were al-lowed to use on anyone in the group who babbled too long.
"So maybe the competition wasn't always friendly," the psychologist laughs. "But it was always lively. There was energy in the room that helped us get through some pretty dense material."
A former high school English teacher and currently an instructor for the Chicago Dramatists Workshop, Gerissa French never forgets to bring a playful spirit to her work with students.
Knowing how silly they can be, she's less inclined toward games and tricks. For her, fun means stimulating discussions on a subject she feels passionately about: literature. French works hard to bring out the same excitement in her students.
She sees herself as something of an orchestra leader; her goal is to bring forth the very best performance from each of her student-performers. To do that, she knows she must inspire them to become absorbed in the class.
"I'm an excitement junkie," says French. "I crave the stimulation of discussion-the way students get involved with the work. The last thing I want to do is stand up there and pontificate. To me, that's boring."
French doesn't tolerate classroom slackers. "If you can't get excited about the topic of a paper, write about something else," she tells her students. "I don't care if you choose great works or not. Just choose works you really love."
While no job is perfect, Messina-Hirsch often labors with joy. Her career has seen many variations, but food is always at the center of the enterprise. Still on her horizon: She may write a cookbook or host a cooking show. She admits to admiring Martin Yan of the popular TV program Yan Can Cook for his incredible cutting methods.
"He's like a virtuoso pianist," she says. "He probably spends hours just practicing his knife techniques."
While her family and friends sometimes think she's a little too dedicated, her time spent drumming up and testing new recipes is not only work, it's also play. You can call it a busman's holiday, but she's thrilled to spend her days off in the kitchen puttering with new dishes. To her, it's all grist for the mill-experience she can apply later in her work with corporate clients.
This is a woman who knows that work can and should be a celebration of talents, not an exercise in tedium. As 19th-century British writer John Ruskin said: "Labor without joy is base."
Surrounding yourself with activities you love increases your potential for satisfaction. But it isn't always easy to find ways to integrate your interests and skills into your everyday work life. It takes energy, effort and a willingness to take chances.
Heisler cites the example of a general practice attorney. The lawyer's first passion is for horses, but she wasn't sure whether and how to convert her passion into a livelihood. So she started slowly, working as a part-time riding instructor on weekends to see if she was on the right track. She was.
Today, her life as an attorney is far more tolerable because she knows it's almost over. Day by day, she's working toward the time when she'll be able to buy a horse farm in northern Wisconsin. Sound like fun?
Admittedly, hobbies make high-risk career choices. At the same time, they practically guarantee you a spot on the enjoyment roster. The real question is, how much do you want to risk on the possibility of happiness?
While you may envy people like Messina-Hirsch and the future horse-farm owner, their spark is the result of finding and following a personal dream. Messina-Hirsch thinks fun-as a by-product of work-becomes more important as you age.
She's aware that time is precious and wants to make sure she enjoys every minute she can. That's why she's always looking for new ways to expand her knowledge, develop her skills and enjoy herself.
New York career counselor Judy Rosemarin has come to a similar conclusion. At 25, Rosemarin was determined to make people take her seriously. When she was 35, she was still intent on pursuing that goal. By the time she was 45, though, she recognized that she was trying too hard and decided to lighten up.
"Once I realized that I was taking myself too seriously, I relaxed and let go," says Rosemarin. "And guess what? That's when people started to take me seriously."
Perhaps you need to stop working so hard to gain respectability and take your own happiness more seriously. Or, as some would say: Lighten up and live a little.
