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Introduction Why Fun? Individually, we yearn for fun, but collectively, we deny and disparage it. Everybody talks about it, but nobody quite knows how to find it—and keep it. We're secretly ashamed that we've settled for a life without much fun. We don't want to be reminded of how much fun we're missing—because it hurts. Sadly, we're conspirators in the denial of fun, turning our backs on what ought to be our highest aspiration—the hope (beyond success) of enjoying unlimited fun. We say, "Fun's just for kids," while secretly we covet it. Society condescendingly looks down on fun as frivolous, shallow, selfish, and unworthy. When we're lucky enough to possess it even momentarily, we get vaguely uneasy—even feel a little guilty. Too much fun, we recall, is somehow bad—although we can't remember exactly why. So we helplessly participate in a conspiracy of denial, and fragile fun disappears from our serious busy lives. The notion of taking fun seriously evokes all kinds of violent reactions, from angry denial to ardent desire. The subject turns out to be as sensitive as sex. More than a few workaholic literary agents and publishers responded to my queries by flatly declaring, "We don't see a market for a book about fun!" Institutionally, fun is frowned on, because it represents real freedom and independence—which threaten authority of every kind (parents, teachers, employers, the church and state). "They" don't want you to have too much fun. They won't say why. It's just not permitted! Fun hasn't been respectable in our culture since the Protestant work ethic put out the lights five centuries ago. America in the nineties is clearly starved for fun. The evidence is overwhelming. We're the freest of nations—yet one of the most repressed. But that's beginning to change. The Dark Ages are lifting and fun is making a timid comeback. Hardhearted business has discovered that fun pays. The pleasure industry is booming, and employee fun has become high priority for enlightened business management. A recent PBS special showed captains of industry cavorting at a seminar to learn the benefits of fun in the workplace—because workers allowed a little fun on the job turn out to be significantly more creative, productive, and loyal to the company. Fun is the latest management tool. Making people happy is a billion dollar industry, and not just in America. Disneylands and fun theme parks are springing up all over the world. The Paris Disneyland, when complete, will be a fifth the size of that fun-famous city. Mickey Mouse is a universal symbol of fun. The fun revolution has circled the globe. Over 85 percent of the movies shown in Europe are American, because Hollywood knows how to bring alive the wealth, celebrity, happiness, and hope that add up to fun for millions of fun-starved people worldwide. And it's the same in other countries. America's fun-oriented lifestyle has aroused the world's yearning for freedom and opportunity—and the fervent hope of somehow finding fun. The word is out: you can fight back with fun. Television and teenagers ("It's so fun, man!"), those harbingers of fad and fashion, have recently discovered fun and made it their own. On the tube, the billboards, on radio, and in print, beautiful people are assuring us, "It's okay to have fun." Fun is now the buzzword for selling nearly everything. ("Take a break for pure mindless fun," says Pepsi.). Clearly, fun is inching out of the closet. Of course, a lot of this new fun is phony—empty, short lived, shallow, and unhealthy. But don't worry about that. We'll show you the real thing, the right stuff, the deeply satisfying, always ready, long lasting, richly rewarding kind of fun that's guaranteed to lift your life. If you're ready for fun, it's waiting just around the corner, barely out of sight, within the reach of all of us—no matter how wretched and depressed we may feel. Have More Fun! Isn't for everybody. But if you're ready to allow more fun into your life, this book will bring back the magic. Helping you reclaim fun's joyful allure, leading you home to its warmth and good feelings. Hilarious, crackup physical techniques will give you a taste of fun in a matter of minutes. Within hours you'll have more fun that you've probably had in weeks—maybe years! Fun comes back fast when you give it half a chance—because it belongs. Along the way you'll learn to fight fear with fun, turn pessimism into optimism, break fun-killing habits, ditch depressing worry, and reduce your dependence on the opinion of others. And you'll learn to breach the barriers that block fun from your life. All you need is the desire for more fun in your life, and the belief that you're entitled to unlimited fun, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. And our kind doesn't. The catchy Bobby Ferrin tune that rhythmically repeats, "Don' worry, be happy!" delivers the right message but doesn't show you how. We will. Employing an eclectic collection of proven techniques, we take you by the hand and lead you down the path, showing you how to change your feelings and reclaim lost fun. Whether your goal is serious therapy or carefree frivolity—success, relaxation or merely more amusement—the surefire strategies that follow will bring you back to fun again. So kick back, lighten up, and let the fun begin!
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