Labor Day has passed and it’s time to GET SERIOUS! Only 4 months left to hit your numbers for the year.

But first, I digress: the thought of working in a focused, driven way when the temperature is in the 90’s, doesn’t happen for me. Instead, it’s a struggle against the oppressive heat. Now, though, the air is energizing! I can sit outside in the noon sun, looking at the tree branches blowing in the soft wind, listening to the birds sing and petting my dogs. All that, and listen to the words that want to enter my head, travel down my arm to my finger tips, to be shared with you.

I’m sitting outside thinking about finances and fun. Fun? Yes, fun! What if instead of dreading looking at your daily, weekly, monthly numbers, you approached it as a game? Why not?

1. Add some levity and humor to the process. Before I pay bills, I pull out my stash of stamps – I Love Lucy, Dennis the Menace, The Simpsons. Knowing I get to add a little humor to the process has the time pass a little quicker and makes me smile.

2. Engage your right brain in working on your finances. Consider listening to music while you work. Whether it’s classical or rock (my favorite is Canyon Trilogy: Native American Flute Music by R. Carlos Nakai), your right brain will tune into this and be seeing pictures in the mind associated with the music. You can then tap into the right side that’s an expert with helping you define: What’s your big picture? Where are you heading with your finances? What’s your goal?

3. Think about finances as a "game". I post a graph with my monthly goals on my office wall. As I receive income, I color in my graph using different colors the closer I get to my goal. How much can you save in a month? How much can you give away in a week and feel abundant?

4. Notice what about finances adds a smile to your face. It doesn’t take much. For me, a surprise check in the mail, a coupon for $10 off at the grocery store, balancing my check book the first try, are all smile enhancers. What about your finances makes you smile?

5. Brainstorm other fun activities relating to your finances. Invite your friends to play along. No one says you have to do this alone. When I get too serious about my finances, I call a friend for ideas. List 10 fun things you could do with your friends to make finances more fun!

As a person who values fun, I know that fun can be brought to any activity or situation I am involved in, why not finances?

Coaching Call to Action:

As you sit down to work on your finances, what will you do to add fun to the process? You have a choice – make it hard and heavy and unimaginative – like that feeling on a hot, muggy, summer day or make it light and easy and invigorating – like the energy that’s available to us on these beautiful fall days.