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Have Fun Along the Way

There is no common definition of fun. Having fun means different things to different people. Some people can’t have fun even on vacation. How sad! Some people can’t find fun at the office. How true!

Americans tend to overwork, overworry, and overdo things. We have longer workweeks and less vacation time than other societies around the world. Maybe it’s time to take stock of what we choose to derive from our time in the workplace.

There is no magic formula for putting a smile on one’s face or feeling good about being at work each day. However, there are ways to get the most out of what you do in life. It starts with attitude; it continues with positive activities; it can end with events that are remarkable.

Sometimes it’s the unexpected that can lead to the ultimate experience. For me, such a happening occurred in the fall of 1988. I hadn’t been Admiral Bill Crowe’s special assistant very long when the now late TIME magazine correspondent Bruce van Voorst walked into my office suggesting I had a problem in that I worked for the most powerful military man on the face of the earth yet no one knew who he was, what he did, or what he stood for. Momentarily amused, I asked if perhaps he’d like to help me change that by interviewing the chairman for TIME. Bruce enthusiastically agreed that it was a splendid idea.

Without telling the chairman he was an unknown in some circles, I recommend that he agree to the interview. The admiral and Bruce met in late November. It was a Q&A format, and it went well. The article was published in the December 26 issue of TIME. Everyone was pleased.

One of the questions Bruce asked the admiral was, “How does the most powerful military man alive relax?” The admiral responded that he enjoyed spending time with his family and also liked watching television. Bruce asked what his favorite television show was. The admiral told him it was the popular comedy series Cheers.

Over the holidays, feeling very proud of myself, I wondered where else I could take this moment of positive public exposure. Returning to work in early January, I picked up the phone and called a colleague in Los Angeles to ask for the name and phone number of the executive producer of Cheers. He called me back with the name and number of James Burrows.

I worked up the courage to call Burrows. I introduced myself as special assistant to Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr., the eleventh chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Who?” was his response. He had reinforced Bruce’s point. I told Burrows that the admiral had mentioned his program in an interview in the latest issue of TIME. Moreover, I suggested that if he’d like to take advantage of that compliment by asking the chairman to make a cameo appearance on Cheers, I was confident he’d agree to it. “Consider him asked,” Burrows said. We hung up, and I felt my heart beating exceptionally fast. What had I just done? How could I ever pull this off? An answer presented itself the next day.

As was his wont, the admiral would visit staff offices on a regular basis. The next day he popped into mine and asked what was going on. I seized the moment by telling him that I had had a most interesting chat with the executive producer of Cheers and that he had asked if the admiral would make a cameo appearance on his show. “What do you think of that idea?” asked the admiral. “I think it’s brilliant,” was my response. The admiral reflected on the offer, agreed to it, and departed. Whew!

Before he could change his mind, I picked up the phone and called Burrows back and told him we were coming to Los Angeles in late January and could film it then. However, I told him there were two conditions: the script had to be done tastefully, and I had to be allowed to review it in advance. He agreed to both requests. If I hadn’t raised those conditions, it would have been irresponsible, even potentially reckless.

The admiral memorized his lines in the well-written script. He even changed a few to suit him better, and we were off to Hollywood. We filmed the episode titled “Hot Rocks.” It aired on March 18, 1989. It was funny, it was humanizing, and it revealed who this powerful man was, what he stood for, and what his important role on behalf of the nation was. Most of all, it revealed the character of the man to millions who might not previously have known of him.

From that point on, whenever the admiral would speak in public, he would refer to his cameo appearance on Cheers by saying it was the most fun time he’d ever had in his four years as chairman. For me it was a heartwarming moment to see the boss having fun and at the same time being introduced to the American public in a memorable way.

I had experienced a magical moment of taking a chance and succeeding. Not everyone can experience these magical moments. Yet we can all work harder to squeeze the most out of life both personally and professionally. That might mean taking a chance on something risky. That might mean trying the unusual on for size. Don’t fear doing this. Obviously, consider both the intended and the unintended consequences of everything you do. Having fun can result in either of those outcomes. When it does turn out well, life can be better in a memorable way.