Having Fun When Things Are Horrible

I like to spend time in the mountains. And even though my leisure time has been interrupted over the past few months as I’ve scrambled to help my business overcome a 55% revenue shortfall, I’ve been thinking a lot about the experience of exerting yourself outdoors.

Those in the mountaineering community describe two types of fun. Type I fun happens when you enjoy doing something in the moment. It’s that feeling you get when you ski down a perfectly powdery slope or rappel down the side of a cliff. For those who prefer the indoors, it’s the type of fun you have when you hang out with your best friends or spend time on your favorite hobby. When we experience Type I fun, we’re likely to feel emotions like excitement and joy. When we talk about having fun, we’re usually referring to Type I fun.

Experiences that generate Type II fun, by contrast, aren’t usually any fun at all while they’re happening. Instead, the fun you experience comes later, when you can look back on the activity and feel a sense of accomplishment or pride. Type II fun happens after you finish a marathon or when you crest the top of a particularly intimidating peak. 

During hard times like the one we’re currently experiencing, it’s important to seek out moments of Type I fun to help alleviate stress and maintain your mental health. But these challenges present an enormous opportunity to focus on the Type II fun you’ll experience when this period passes. In fact, focusing on Type II fun can help you make better decisions and motivate you when things look bleak.

How My Company Is Using Type II Fun

My company works with small business owners to help them save money on their credit card processing. Because our revenue is directly tied to theirs, we’ve taken a massive hit to our bottom line as many of our merchants have been forced to close or cut back services. When we first started noticing this trend, we realized we stood to lose about $1 million a month, which meant we’d be out of business within four to five months unless we did something drastic.

We didn’t want to resort to layoffs or price increases because that would have gone against our values and hurt a lot of the employees and customers we’re in business to help. So we went to our 200-person team and asked them for ideas. They came up with several solutions, but the most impactful one was that 98% of them offered to temporarily cut their pay by an average of 20% to help offset costs. Their sacrifice gave us some breathing room, but it also made things even more difficult for them in the short term. Not only has their income taken a hit, but they’re having to work extra hard to try and get our sales back to where they were pre-COVID. Fortunately, we received a PPP loan from the federal government so we’re able to restore most of their pay for at least the next eight weeks. Beyond that, we’re not sure what the future holds.

I was extremely humbled by their sacrifice, and volunteered to give up my own pay in solidarity. But in addition to expressing gratitude, I also made it a point to express to them just how important their sacrifice would be to them later on. I told them about Type II fun and reminded them that because they made a choice in line with their values, they’ll be able to look back on this moment with pride. Their actions helped save their colleagues’ jobs and helped small businesses who are currently in a fight for their own existence. It may not be a lot of fun now, but the pain they’re experiencing will make the emotional rewards that come later all the richer. 

How to Create Type II Fun

I know it’s counterintuitive to think about fun right now. You might have lost your job or you might be working long, hard days trying to keep your business afloat. You may be sick or caring for someone who’s sick, or you may have your physical health but are starting to feel depressed and anxious in the face of isolation and uncertainty. As you try to navigate this period, creating opportunities for Type II fun can help. 

• Remember your purpose. What do you value? What would you give up money or power to achieve? What is the thing that drives you and gives your life meaning? When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it can be easy to set aside your values in favor of what’s easy, but keeping your purpose top-of-mind will help you make decisions that you’ll feel better about later on. We could have made up our budget shortfall by laying off 40% of our staff and raising our prices to customers, but everyone on our team knew they would regret that decision and wanted to fight with our values intact.
• Think about the stories you want to tell. One of the most popular tools in storytelling is the so-called Hero’s Journey. When a character embarks on this journey, they are forced to confront an overwhelming challenge in order to grow and realize their destiny. These stories are powerful because they show people overcoming the odds to become the best versions of themselves, and who doesn’t want to be the best they can me? How can you be the hero in your own journey? How can you take this as an opportunity to grow and learn about yourself? What story do you want to be able to tell about yourself after this crisis is behind you? When faced with difficult decisions, think about how you’ll want to describe that decision to others later on. Do you want to be able to say you made the easy choice or the one that felt right?
• Look for ways to help. Helping others increases our quality of life by creating connection and building relationships, and there are plenty of opportunities to be helpful right now. Even a small act of generosity can go a long way, and because humans are hard-wired to be cooperative, you’ll receive an immediate emotional benefit that will give you the energy to keep fighting. Later on, you can feel proud knowing you put others’ interests before your own.

There is nothing fun about the times we’re living in, but if each of us looked for ways to create Type II fun, not only would we be better off as individuals, but we’d create a society that worked for everyone. When people live by their values, practice generosity, and consider the impact they have on the world, they’re far more likely to do things that benefit their communities instead of themselves. My hope is that, even after this pandemic passes, we remember the lessons we learned.