I got an opportunity to introspect in a conversation with a client when he questioned my use of the word "fun". What do I mean when I say something is fun? I am not entirely sure. May be when I see something that excites me a little. People have very different interpretations of fun. For me it is usually applying creativity to build something. Activities the involve combination of these two, make me feel most satisfied. Balance is very important.
But what do I really mean when I say something is fun? I almost never know if it is going to be fulfilling at the time of making this declaration. So how do I reach the point where I can say that X is going to be fun?
It might be an opportunity to learn something new. The unknown scares me. It's a thrill and possibly vain feeling of growth. I have a long list of things I want to learn/master. When my mind sees an opportunity to check a box off of that list, it gets excited.
It might as well be pure vanity. Vanity plays important part in my mind. When my subconscious thinks keeping appearances is important, seeing a geeky-sounding statement just automatically make it blabber "that sounds fun". Although I try to keep my narcissism in check, occasional slips are a thing.
Another thing that I think I consider fun is "fixing" something. It is quite possible to mark me as a control freak; although I won't voluntarily accept the label. I do however occasionally attain rather strong opinions about how certain things shall be. When I see an opportunity to "fix" something to my definition of right, that is a strong motivational force. However unreliable it might be, working with motivation is fun.