I don’t know anyone who dislikes fun. Everyone likes fun, but from my experience, people go about having fun in very different ways. From what I can see, there are 4 types of fun:

Type 1 Fun: Fun that is fun while you’re doing it, not really that fun afterwards.

This includes eating burgers & candy, watching a TV show you like, quitting work early. Enjoy too much of this kind of fun, and you’ll probably end up overweight and jobless. But it’s relaxing and feels good. Most Americans seem to like this type of fun the most.

Type 2 Fun: Fun that is incredibly intense fun, but could have dire consequences.

This includes BASE jumping, picking up a ‘no strings attached’ guy/girl at a bar, committing fraud, or doing drugs.  People in their teens and 20′s seem to like this kind of fun best. The problem with this kind of fun is that extended use will get you killed, pregnant, incarcerated, or addicted to drugs. That’s probably why this type of fun drops off in your 30′s – either you didn’t live long enough to see 30, or you figured out that Type 3 fun isn’t worth it.

Type 3 Fun: Fun that isn’t fun while you’re doing it, but really fun afterwards.

This includes exercising, working hard at your job, and raising a family, growing in your faith, and generally any worthwhile endeavor. This kind of fun will leave you healthy, balanced, and fulfilled in life. But it isn’t fun when you’re working hard on it. It seems to me very few people enjoy this fun because it isn’t easy at the beginning. Delayed gratification isn’t a popular sales pitch…

Type 4 Fun: Fun that is never fun – while doing it, or after.

This type of fun includes a lot of life – it is difficult and not fun at all. This also includes the outcome of bad decisions we make that cause non-fun activities to take place. Some of life just isn’t fun.

So What?

Now that we’ve discussed the 4 types of fun, it’s time to reflect on how you have fun. I wish I could say I invest my time in type 3 fun. But too often laziness pulls me into trying to become fulfilled with Type 1 fun (candy) , and the appeal of Type 2 (adrenaline) fun pulls at my cheap thrills tenancy. I desire to be a person who invests my time and energy into living a real life of Type 3 fun – doing worthwhile things that have lasting value. Type 4 fun is just a part of life, and it’s important not to use types 1 & 2 fun to try and reduce it. That just leads to more Type 4 fun.

Phil 4:8 reminds me of this:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I challenge you to do the same.

-Mike