“Why not become conscious and make choices to create your life like an artist?” –Gary Zukav

My husband does this great impression of me. He waves his arms and hands wildly in the air and sings “La Dee Dah” over and over. He enjoys mocking my carefree attitude, and it always makes me laugh. See, I don’t always dot my i’s and cross all of my t’s. I rarely feel the need to clean incessantly or make sure my checkbook is balanced to the penny. My husband? He’s the walking, breathing definition of detailed. (Just try telling him a story and I guarantee he will ask you questions you don’t know the answers to!) Anyway, it works. I jokingly tell people that he makes sure our bills are paid on time, and I make sure we have fun.

All joking aside, we actually take our fun seriously. It’s sad that it seems easier to find people who view their days with drudgery than it is to find people who craft their joy. I often see people trying to get through life, instead of making it a masterpiece of fun and fulfillment. Like most good things, sometimes fun takes a little work. Here are a few tips to add more fun into your days.

Plan it. As much as you might like the universe to constantly produce fun in your life, it just doesn’t happen that way. Don’t wait for vacation or that mysterious day in your future when you plan to have more time. Take control and put fun on your calendar. My husband and I sign up to run 5ks months in advance, buy tickets for musical performances, make a list of restaurants we want to try, sketch out possible trips for the year, and plan out our weekends at least a week in advance. Make sure you can easily list what fun means to you, and then schedule it.

Refrain from putting life on hold for the weekend. I dislike the whole wait for the weekend philosophy. You are going to dread five days of the week so you can look forward to two? Make each day as fulfilling as possible—even Monday. If there’s something on your daily calendar you dread, add something you love. Dentist appointment … meet pedicure appointment. Grumpy boss? Schedule lunch with a positive friend. Work overload? Plan something you can look forward to and use it as a reward. When I have to do something I dread, I tell myself: “Okay, pull up your big girl boots.” I crack myself up, and then I get on with it.

Make sure it isn’t your head you dread. You can’t go anywhere and leave your head behind, so make sure it’s a friendly place to reside. Too often people are kinder to best friends than they are to themselves inside their own heads. Your thoughts are powerful. You become what you think about, so choose your thoughts wisely. If you want to change your mood, your outlook and your capacity for fun (your life!)—change your thoughts.

Take more risks. My husband and I took an entrepreneurial leap so we could move to an area that would support our love for outdoor adventures. Moving to an area we love and having jobs where we control our schedules has resulted in immeasurable happiness. Loving where you live is a big boost to the fun factor, but more importantly we realized that taking the risk led to the rewards.

Make happy decisions. You make tons of little decisions all day long. With a little bit of creative thinking, you can make those decisions more fun. Take a favorite book with you for your lunch break, get up early to watch the sunrise, cook a new meal, listen to meditative music before you fall asleep, call a friend spontaneously, go to a favorite coffee shop or do something spontaneous mid-week with your family. Vary your routine. Tap into your creative side and get more fun on your daily canvas.

Don’t be so serious. There’s a Someecard (www.someecards.com) that reads: “If you are having a bad day at work, remember you are going to die.” I laugh hysterically every time I read it because 1. It’s true. And 2. It jolts things into perspective. While death isn’t exactly a cheery topic, you don’t have to be morose about it. Use it as a good kick in the butt reminder to have some fun.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking successful people don’t have time for fun. Most people aren’t successful unless they are having fun in what they are doing. So, live your days with full awareness that this journey does come to an end … and have some freaking fun.