Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit (thanks to my friend Soren Gordhamer) the corporate headquarters of Zappos.com, a $1 Billion per year internet shoe company. In our meetings with CEO Tony Hsieh and other important leaders, I thought we were going to talk about the role of the internet in today’s successful companies.
While we did talk about this, I learned something MUCH more important. I learned that it was OK to have FUN in business.
Paul in Zappos throne
From laughter at the reception desk to the skeleton in a pirate suit that greets you when you walk through the main doors, the folks at Zappos know how to have FUN! In fact, they are famous for asking “How weird are you?” during job interviews.
The visit had a profound impact on me and my business. I realized that I was trying too hard to be a serious-ly successful coach. And, I was attracting clients who also had a tendency to try too hard.
In the past few months, I have come out of the closet about my weirdness. I’ve joked more and started writing the world’s first Highly Irreverent Tapping Manual (click here to read about it). At the recent Tapper’s Gathering in Colorado, I subtitled my presentation on EFT for Abundance, “How Coyote can bring you all the money you want – IF you let him.“ In addition to incredible feedback, that presentation brought a number of awesome new clients.
As I’ve given myself permission to bring more fun (and a little weirdness) into my coaching, my clients are seeing positive shifts much more quickly. Just this morning a client posted this comment:
Thank you SOOO much for helping me to get out of the serious and into the fun of it all.
Recently, I’ve read several business gurus whose answer to success in today’s economy is to hustle even more. I know that many people are already feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Hustle more?!?
This week, I’d like to invite you to consider the words of Dale Carnegie when he said “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”
If you’d like to read more about how Zappos creates fun and a little weirdness in their business, check out their blog post. If having fun is contributing to your success, I’d really appreciate it if you would would share in a comment below about how you’re doing this. If it’s hard to imagine how you could be having more fun and success in your life, then let’s have a chat.
I'm a wisdom motivated coach who helps spiritual entrepreneurs grow their businesses with integrity and ease. My approach combines innovative tools to help you connect with and language your wisdom and then share it using proven conscious business and relationship marketing practices.
Thanks for the reminder. I agree that some of my biggest shifts have been when the laughter comes. Sometimes it is seeing that the negative belief was laughable and it shifts my energy. But just good old fashioned fun is so important in life whether it is at work, home or school. We need more of it!
Thanks for your thoughts Liesl. More and more I see how much healing happens when we can find our way into a little more light hearted way of being in the world.
Paul, this is one of your deliciously authentic blogposts – and you’re deliciously weird enough to be fun!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your laughter, I’ll keep thinking of it, even during all the traveling I’m doing at the moment. Traveling IS fun, and so are you; and you remind me to be fun as well. Thanks for that!
Have a blast Charlotte. In addition to being fun, traveling is great way to meet network with new people re: your biz. But, you already know that. ;~)
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by JanetHilts: I prefer to think of myself as “quirky” LOL…RT @PaulZelizer: How Weird Are YOU? New blog post. http://bit.ly/2jHwoy…
When I look back on “Jobs I enjoyed” I recall the fun stuff with clients and with my workmates– as a social worker in a very intense “anti-violence” clinic I remember doing yoga in the hallway between clients, and in a family therapy internship I remember goofing around outrageous goofing around with my interdisciplinary colleagues in the broom closet that was our communal office– laughing so hard we could hardly stay seated– and I remember doing an airband(?) version of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” with an impromptu girl-band (including our boss, who we just hauled in at the spur of the moment)for someone’s going away tea. Yeah, weird is good if it is “creative” but not so good if it is a euphemism for any sort of power-driven exploitation.
Thanx for sharing your story with us Cynthia. I like the picture of you playing air guitar!
Well you know Paul,
This is a HUGE part of how I live and what I teach and share as well. I personally think that the two biggest pieces to success in business and in life in general are:
1) Find YOUR voice, YOUR passions, YOUR talents, and YOUR gifts, and find some way to serve people with what you truly love, because we live in a day and age, now more than ever, that you can absolutely attract money and make a great living at doing it…why would anyone do something they don’t like?
So it’s all about being authentic and real, truly, not just a trendy buzz word.
2) You have to have fun.
It took me a lot of years doing what I thought I was supposed to do, or imitating everyone else. And when I found my voice and embraced it, ran with it, and wouldn’t let anyone or anything distract me from that…EVERYTHING changed.
I have more business than I know what to do with. I have an awesome, kickass (can I say that on you blog???), vision of where I’m going with a book, TV show, Film, Radio show, merchandise, novelty items, speaking, hosting, comedy and a whole bunch more, and it freakin’ rocks!
I realized that yes I am a loving, compassionate person who cares about people, but I have my own voice which is a bit edgy, over the top fun and crazy, and I take personal development, spiritual development, and business and I make it deep AND outrageously fun and hip.
I LOVE to play and help people lighten up while we’re going deep down the rabbit hole of life trying to figure it all out.
So go on brother, do it…
“Be As Weird As You Want To Be…”
I am, and life has never been better, and I love seeing transform into the wild and crazy beings that they were meant to be.
I have clients that come to me for marketing and business coaching, and what I give them is permission to be real AND get a little or a lot crazy!
I’m psyched seeing what you’re doing…we need more fun people in this way too serious industry.
Rock on brother,
Scott
Hey Scott. You can kickass on my blog anytime!
I LOVE your edgy and authentic voice. There are way too many B-O-R-I-N-G business and personal development coaches out there. You are doing the world a great service by being a living example that it’s possible to be fun and crazy and successful. I’ve learned a lot from from you and am truly grateful to know you.
You brother in weirdness,
Paul
Thanks for your blog post I enjoyed it. Your comments are so generous. By you choosing to share this it gives other people permission to explore their weird and funny selves.
oh why should n’t business be fun?
But I think don’t be weird for weirdness sake, be true to who you are and if that is fessing up to your authentic funny self go for it.
I’ve realised my weirdness is one of my central gifts. It was a painful lonely place to stand in growing up and as a young adult. But now I enjoy radiating being my weird left of field self and I have fun creating that space for others too.
Now I get hired for my ‘weirdness’, I get paid as an artist for my ideas, projects, facilitation + public speaking. I have a fairly alternative approach I’ll run communication workshops and not let anyone talk or write… that one is fun and in 10 minutes I can see the groups dynamic. I’ve told business “sorry I don’t run problem solving experiences just ‘solution generation’…” Sometimes it is devilment either way it’s fun!
With social media the chances of finding others with the same weirdness increases! What is it that Yanky Fachler calls it ‘find your own asylum’! Enjoy.
Roisin,
Glad you liked the blog post. Only reason business shouldn’t be fun is cause we have limiting beliefs that get in the way. Thanks to EFT, it’s easy to clear that. Thanks for sharing your story about solution generation. I hear you loud and clear. Love your comments on social media and “finding your own asylum.” Isn’t that the truth!
With much love,
Paul
Paul, I LOVE this blog post! I tend to be a bit goofy myself, and have seen some remarkable shifts when I incorporate some silliness into the tapping I do with clients. It’s wonderful to hear someone who was crying a minute ago now laughing and lightening up. I really think that you have hit on something very important with this post.
Paul, this is my first ever visit to your blog – and I am glad I finally got here!
Fun and joy are a very big part of my life. Is there any other way?!
What is life for if not fun and joyous?
Paul, I look forward to sharing more fun moments with you on Facebook:-)
This post rocked! Thanks for reminding me to bring more laughter to my work! My clients love when I am silly and funny! The whole vibration of the room changes when you let the silliness flow! Life is meant to be fun! Why don’t schools have a class on fun?? Laughter is as good as a massage, as healing as sunshine . . . it ,along with with love makes life worth living! And you can quote me!
Great to read your blog post Paul. Interestingly, my affirmation for this week has been FUN and EASY. Nice to know that I am not the only one that is focused on FUN.
Pat: I’m glad this post is allowing us to learn about your goofy self. I agree, incorporating fun into tapping allows much more profound shifts.
Arvind: Thanks for stopping by and WELCOME! I hope it won’t be your last visit here. I get the sense that you’re really good at having fun and sharing joy. No wonder we connect so well on Facebook.
Brenda: People love to feel joy. I’m not surprised that your client’s love it when you help increase their joy factor.
Kathy: FUN and EASY. Now there’s an affirmation I can get excited about. Good thing about this blog is that there is a whole community of folks who are passionate about fun, healing and success. How cool is that!
I am all for more weirdness, silliness and FUN
Right in the middle of my vision board, in BIG letters, are these words “LIFE IS EASY AND FUN”. As Abe would say “You can’t have a happy ending to an unhappy journey”.
I love being part of a community where people feel safe to embrace their silly side, and know that fun, laughter and joy are where it’s really at!!
YESSSS! So it IS ok to be my weird self!!! YEA! I don’t need to live, anymore, with the lie that I have to be serious to show people I am good at what I do—being a mom (my 13 yr old tells me often, “Mom, you’re so weird”) a pet sitter or a friend.
Thank you Paul. As a recovering perfectionist I will probably need many more reminders of this message.
Blessings!
Melodee
Karen: YES! You’ve described my intentions perfectly – create a community where people know that it’s OK to have fun, spirituality and success all wrapped up in one delightful human journey. Glad to be traveling with you.
Melodee: Your daughter and my daughter would have lots to talk about. :~) RE: Recovering perfectionist. Fortunately, there’s a growing community of people on this blog and in tapping world that help remind you.
Melodee / Paul,
I would love to be cured of this “perfectionism” disease and join your club of recovering perfectionists:-)
All suggestions welcome!
Hey Arvind,
Weird Paul’s groups & private coaching has made a HUGE difference for me. He is the proof in the pudding!! He is fun & awesome as a coach (and he’s helping others to be fun & awesome too)!
Best to you,
Melodee
Thanks for the shout out Melodee! Arvind, the groups Melodee is talking about are the Success for Spiritual People Mastermind Groups I facilitate. In these we use EFT, attraction principles and the power of the Mastermind process to clear perfectionism and attract more success and fun into our lives. If this could be an option for you, let me know. If not, I’d suggest learning EFT and finding yourself a tapping buddy (a peer you trade sessions with).
Warmly,
Weird Paul
Thanks Melodee – it has actually been great fun already having somehow connected with Paul via Facebook:-)
Thanks Paul – I shall check out more of what you do…
BTW Arvimd, my Mastermind buddy, EFT practitioner Sejual Shah, is your neighbor. She lives outside of London. Small world!