Years ago I heard about a school that was experiencing a lot of littering. The students didn't care to throw their wraps in the garbage cans and penalties didn't seem to solve the problem.  Then one teacher came up with the idea to put baskets, much like basketball baskets, above the garbage cans. The students soon discovered that throwing garbage in the cans was a really fun game. They were excited about the challenge to throw their garbage into the cans and soon the school was spotless.

I was reminded of this story last weekend, when my partner John made his way from the bedroom to the kitchen playing soccer with a plastic bag until he reached the recycling bin. What a fun way to take care of recycling. John is my inspiration when it comes to turning chores into play-time. Personally, I love to turn on some great Latin music and dance as I mop the floors. It makes cleaning so much more fun.

We grown-ups can take ourselves and the game called life too serious at times. Lighten up and reconnect with the child within you, (s)he knows how to turn chores into fun. Here's how you create a game out of otherwise mundane and boring tasks that you might dread and therefore put off:

• Connect to the child within you and ask how (s)he would approach the task at hand.
• If you have a hard time getting in touch with your inner child, ask yourself how a child you know might approach this chore.
• Listen carefully.
• Then follow her/his advice and have fun with it.

Please post your most creative ideas on my blog for other readers to be inspired. I will reward to most intriguing idea with an e-book of The Mini-Retreat Solution.