Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Is it fun being you?

I was watching Boston Legal last night. I love that show. James Spader and Bill Shatner together make me laugh and applaud. Typically Spader's and Shatner's characters (at the end of the show) sit on a balcony at their law firm and discuss the week's events. William Shatner's character Denny Crane is completely crazy in that "like a fox" kind of way. He's this right wing Republican who feels like his best years are behind him and he goes around telling people that he has mad cow disease. What's great about Denny Crane is that he doesn't care what other people think of him. He's very happy and content with being Denny Crane. He also loves to walk into a room saying his name to everyone. You've got to love the guy.

At the very end of the show last night he and James Spader are sitting on the balcony and Shatner tells Sader, "It's fun being me." He turns to Spader and asks, "Is it fun being you?" Well...that got me thinking about how incredibly important this is to me. I also starting thinking about what that actually requires. I asked myself if having fun is the most important thing in my life. Not just having fun but also, "Is it fun being me?" Upon reflection I felt that fun-ness is certainly in the top five. But at the same time I figured out that fun being me is priority number one. The difference between the two is substantial. I believe that most people are capable of having fun while at the same time not having fun with whom they are. This simple reality made me sit up and think about what that means. Having fun and having fun being who you are (at the same time) is critical for a happy, purposeful and successful life.

There are hundreds of thousands of people in this country that have fun all the time. Those same people are over weight & out of shape. The vast majority of obese people can have fun, but are they having fun being who they are? If you are not happy being who you are then you need to do something to change that. What are the odds that this whole thing is going to come around to the importance of exercise and a healthy diet as a way to get there? And you thought I was just going to talk about a TV show. Think about it...what if liking who you are got mixed with being able to do the things you love? That is called fun being you. You can't have fun being you if you're treating yourself badly. Lack of physical movement and eating sugar and fat makes it impossible to have fun being you. You're still capable of having fun, but that fun fades and you're left with just you...not liking who you are. This can be easily remedied by taking care of yourself through fitness & a healthy diet.

Before I discovered fitness as a solution to my situation I had fun all the time. The whole time I was having all this fun I was very unhappy with me. The fun I was having was a means to try to give my life value, but it wasn't working. The highs were short lived and the lows were deep and often. It wasn't fun being me! The day I started lifting weights and got off of Dr. Pepper and cheeseburgers I began to combine having fun with liking who I was. This changed everything. I was beginning to have the life I always wanted. No one gave it to me. I earned it. And it allowed me to combine having fun and liking who I was. All by simply deciding to shift my lifestyle to a healthy one. So, if you'd like to have fun being you then decide and commit to the healthy lifestyle that can make that happen.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Tony, mi amigo del alma. Yes I have fun being me, I love me and I am having fun. The time of my life and I thank God first, me second, my family third and most of all You. Yes you, cause if you hadn't decide to be so commited and being a true friend who wanted honest answers, I would have never found me and my love for me. I totally understand what you are saying and the answer is YES!

Anonymous said...

Never watched that show. Gotta check it out. Love both of those actors.

Liking myself...hmmm. I usually do. But I'm finding it isn't consistent. Maybe it is intermingled with my workout schedule. My dvd player on the tv I've been using is nutty. It's taken me a full day to resolve that there are at least 5 other dvd devices in the house (the one I'm typing on the obvious choice) to get back on track. Sometimes I have to find the track before I can get back on it!!

TuxBaby said...

Yet another great post full of wisdom!! I love it.

And yes, I'm having fun as well as having fun being me. It's something I've slowly discovered since getting divorced a few yrs ago (that was SO not fun) and this year has been monumental in my finally discovering MYSELF again. And I love who I am now. :)

~TuxB

Anonymous said...

My gosh Tony, what timing. I am really struggling right now with life, liking myself and questioning just about every thing I thought believed in. My Dad and one of my best friends ever is quickly dying of transitional cell cancer. He was diagnosed in mid July immediately after this summer’s NY fitness camp. In August he played 36 holes a day on a 3 day golf trip and today he can’t stand up by himself. The doctors are telling us he will not make it till Christmas.

I have not worked out except on occasion since August and I eat everything I see. I have been asking if it is fun being me a lot lately. And the answer keeps coming up NO. I did workout on Friday and Sunday and I am eating better, kinda. Thanks for your always timely motivational statements. Hopefully I can listen and hear your words and change my declining health habits. You are the king of personal health and fitness.

Anonymous said...

"So, if you'd like to have fun being you then decide and commit to the healthy lifestyle that can make that happen."

Or you could just wait for Mad Cow to set in...........

Denny Crane

psyknife said...

Hey Tony! I enjoyed this. When I started exercising my friends kept telling me (you're not fat, you don't need to lose weight)... but that's because they are my friends and friends support us and tell us we're wonderful even if we don't agree. I told them all I was doing it for me because, like you, I would have fun, but I didn't have fun being me. Now, I totally have fun being me!!! I get excitement out of the littlest things (including balancing on the EL while it's moving). So, thank you so much for all I've found while doing your program.