“If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.” ~Bob Basso

A couple weeks back, my boyfriend and I went to our local county fair. I love—love—fairs.

Forget for a minute that adult-me now gets vertigo just looking at a roller coaster; and that my thirty-year-old digestive track nearly explodes when I catch a whiff of carnie food. When you factor in my increasing interest in crafts and farm animals, it somewhat evens out.

If you’re the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, thrill-seeker type, that might sound as exciting as watching paint dry. But I really do love petting furry little creatures and thinking about things I can make.

Standing in the petting zoo, surrounded by llamas, sheep, goats, and even a wallaby, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. I hopped around to spend equal time with everyone; didn’t want the donkey to feel slighted. I played, I frolicked, I may even have skipped a little.

Truthfully, I would have been equally psyched just to sit back and be a farm voyeur. Just watching the animals scamper and seeing kids’ faces light up as they fed them, I felt happy and peaceful. I didn’t even mind when the goat bit my pant leg. He could have gnawed a hole into my favorite Seven jeans and I still would have found it charming.

Sunny little giggles, that rustic barn smell, the feeling of disconnection from chaotic urban life—everything about that moment appealed to me. I was having fun.

As my boyfriend dragged me out of the petting zoo to see an Eddie Money concert—his brand of fun—I wondered when I’d last felt so happy and free. I did plenty of things I enjoyed in the weeks prior. But none of it was exactly the same. Something was missing. Or perhaps more accurately, something was there most of the time.

That thing was the voice in my head. It sounded a little something like this:

You don’t have to do or be something dramatic to have a more interesting and exciting life. Small and simple changes, shifts in thinking, and self-improvement stretches can shake up your world enough to make it more fun, fascinating and adventurous — on your own terms.

You can get out of the rut of your everyday routine and put some sparkle into your lifestyle with just a little creative thinking and planning.

Want some ideas? Here are 26 simple living ways on how to make life more exciting.

1. Make room. It’s hard to add excitement to your life if your life is overflowing with mindless tasks and chores. Can you simplify, delegate, or eliminate any of these boring and mindless tasks to make room for excitement? Sometimes we fill our lives with these things in order to avoid stretching ourselves toward happiness. Is that you?

2. Shake up your morning routine. Instead of following the same wake-up routine every day, do it differently on occasion. Get up ten minutes early and have  breakfast outside. Turn off the TV and put on music.  Make love before work. Drive a different way. Just starting your day differently will give you a little thrill.

3. Be the host. Take the initiative to entertain, and invite friends or family over for dinner or something different — like a wine tasting or game night.

4. Move your furniture. Rearrange or redecorate a room, switching things up enough that it feels new and different.

5. Go cheer. Attend a competitive, fast-paced sporting event like tennis, basketball, or racing where the energy and excitement of the sport is contagious.

6. Get a makeover. Get a new haircut, have your make-up done by a pro, buy a new outfit, or try a new style. It’s even more fun if you do this with a friend.