Morning — Clay here.

Somewhere between work, kids, and bills, a lot of us quietly stopped having fun. Not on purpose—it just slipped through the cracks while we were busy doing everything else.

This week’s reflection is about getting some of that back and remembering that being a grown man doesn’t mean life has to get dull.

Here we go!🔥

How to Keep Life Interesting as a Grown Man

Somewhere along the way, a lot of us stop having fun.

I don’t mean we stop enjoying life—I mean we stop doing the things that make it interesting. The things we used to stay up late for, plan weekends around, and talk about for days afterward.

For me, that shift happened slowly. In my 20s, I loved going to concerts, camping, playing sports, and losing a few hours to a good video game. But once marriage, kids, and work came along, all those things started falling off the calendar. Not because I planned it that way—it just… happened.

And honestly, that’s not a bad thing. When you have a family, life isn’t all about you anymore. Some of those “fun” things have to fall away. It’s called responsibility—and that’s part of growing up. But that’s also why we have to be intentional about what kind of fun stays in our lives. Because if we don’t choose it on purpose, it’ll quietly disappear.

Then came 2020. The world shut down, and the “blueprint” I’d been following for years burned right along with it. Somewhere in that reset, I realized I’d spent years taking care of everything except the parts of myself that made me feel alive.

So I started being intentional about fun again.

I joined a kickball team.
I went back to the gym.
I started playing video games with my kids and my brother.
And I made it a point to go to at least one concert every year—Clutch, The Toadies, Rival Sons, Paleface Swiss, The Record Company, and Buckcherry.

None of that changed my life overnight. But it made me remember who I was outside of responsibility—and that guy’s worth keeping around.

A Few Ways to Keep Life Interesting Again

1. Schedule fun like you schedule work.
   If you don’t plan it, it won’t happen. Whether it’s a poker night, a hike, or a home project that actually excites you, block it off.
   

2. Do something mildly ridiculous.
   Play a sport you haven’t touched in twenty years. Throw axes. Start a garage band that never leaves the garage. Serious men need unserious moments.
   

3. Get outside.
   Go camping, take a walk with your kids, or just sit on the porch without your phone. Fresh air does more for your mindset than most self-help books ever will.
   

4. Find a reason to leave your house.
   Concerts, small-town festivals, weekend road trips—they all count. Changing your scenery changes your mindset.
   

5. Bring someone along.
   It’s not just about hobbies—it’s about connection. Having fun with your kids, your wife, or your buddies builds the kind of memories that keep midlife from feeling like a slow fade.
   

6. Rediscover what used to make you lose track of time.
   Look back at your 20s and 30s. What did you love doing that got crowded out by life? Chances are, it still fits—it just needs a new form.

Keeping life interesting doesn’t mean chasing thrills or pretending you’re still twenty-five. It means not forgetting that life’s supposed to have color, not just structure.

Responsibility matters. But so does laughter, curiosity, and a little bit of noise every now and then.

Because when you stop having fun, you don’t just lose excitement—you lose a piece of yourself.

Until next time—
keep the fires burning.
– Clay

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