Many of us don't give ourselves permission to have fun. Most people have heard the expression TGIF - Thank God it's Friday! We live for the weekend. On the weekend we spend time with family and friends, we head out to a bar, to dinner and movies, to the beach, to a bbq, we take time for ourselves, and come Sunday evening it almost feels good to go back to work.

We should not defer fun to a specific day or weekend. We need to make every day a 'fun' day. We have to train ourselves to enjoy life, not just endure it. It is usually the small things in life that give us the most enjoyment: seeing children happily playing, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the beauty of nature, the phone call from an old friend. We become what we think about most. If we think happy, we can be happy. Conversely, if we think negatively, our lives will be that way.

Perfection is a killer in our pursuit of fun and happiness. To-do-lists and appointments should not be so tight that they choke you. Give yourself a break, ease up on yourself and allow a little bit of disorganization once in a while. Break the routine and don't put yourself in the same old rut, day after day, week after week.....

Here are a few things you can do to have more fun and be happier as a result.

• Play some of your favorite music. Hum, sing, whistle along with it. Tap out the beat with your fingers or feet. Or, better still, dance!
  

• Smile and laugh. It makes us feel good, and it is contagious.

• Break your routine and do something spontaneous.

• Take time out to indulge yourself in anything you love, be that a massage, a good book, some trashy magazines or a sex marathon.

• Watch a comedy. Guaranteed your mood will change for the better.
  

• Catch up with a fun-loving friend and go for a bike ride, a beach walk or even a coffee.
  

• Enjoy a fun outing in good company, eating your favorite dishes over a glass of wine.

• Try a new sport.
  

• Attend a workshop in something you are interested in (ie. art/ singing/ dance/ photography, etc)