"Work is much more fun than fun." ~ Sir Noël Coward, Academy Award-winning English actor, 1899-1973

 
I have a confession to make. After three days of stuffing my short, Irish body with way too much food and drink during this past holiday weekend, I'm ready to extend the mirth and merriment. And I'm not talking about tacking on some vacation days. No, I'm ready to have some fun at work.

Why not? Who made the rule that "not working" is more fun than working? Many of us can expect to work more than 2,000 hours this year. As long as we have to pay the bills, why can't we choose to make it fun. And that's exactly what it is-a choice. But to make the choice to have a blast at work, we might have to reprogram our brains. All those "I hate Monday morning" and "TGIF" messages that bombard us have conditioned our noggins to believe that if we aren't at least slightly miserable bringing home the bacon, we aren't normal. W ell it's time for you and me to change that.

So starting now, let's choose to have fun and laugh a little extra at work. Surprise a co-worker with a goofy gift, write a creative thank you note to a customer, or funny-up your e-mails by adding an image or two (www.googleimages.com). Don't forget that one of your greatest tools for influencing everyone around you is to make them smile. When they smile, the walls of resistance come down and they are more willing to listen to your message.
Let's get this party started!