Keith Hufnagel was born in 1974 and got his first skateboard at age 4. As a teenager, he became serious about skateboarding as a sport. He moved across country to go to school at San Francisco State University. His college career only lasted six months when he dropped out to become a professional skateboarder.
Hufnagel toured the world as a professional and produced skateboarding videos. He was 20-30 years of age at the time. As he realized that his age would slow down his skills, he and his wife decided to open a store in San Francisco that would appeal to skateboarders. They sold edgy clothes and shoes as well as serving as a consignment store for skateboard artists.
The store caught on. Hufnagel began to design his own clothes and shoes. He even sponsored a team of professional skateboarders. Huf apparel was also distributed by major sports retailers. Throughout his career, he stayed true to his passion and didn’t sell out as many similar ventures have done.
At age 43, Keith Hufnagel found out that he had brain cancer. He died at age 46 having spent his entire life involved in something that he called fun.
How many of us can say we spent our entire life doing something we call fun? Conversely, how many of us are in careers that are fulfilling financially while thinking that the fun will come later?
Fun can come in many forms. For Hufnagel, it came from a sport he loved. For others, it could come from corporate and financial success. Others might have fun by supporting the success of others. Fun and careers can be inseparable as was the case of Keith Hufnagel, or they can be separate pursuits.
Fun is something that each of us has to determine for ourselves. What may be dreary to some can be exciting to others. While fun comes in many forms, there is one truism about fun. It’s not something you can invest in for the future. Having fun should not be imagined as something you save for until you retire. It’s surprising how often we can rationalize the lack of fun with the expectation that it will eventually come.
One way to discover what fun means for you is to think about when you really felt good about something you did. Then ask yourself: “How can I make that happen more often?”
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“Fun is good.” – Dr. Seuss