They’re your dreams; it’s your life. No one else is going
              to make things right for you. Only your actions can provide the
              kind of life you want.
                                                           Harry Browne

Marnie loves the symphony, but with a business in its infancy season tickets are a bit out of reach. That didn’t stop her from enjoying the full spectrum of concerts last year, however.

She became an usher at Symphony Hall and heard every note. In addition, she was paid a tiny amount of money for her services so she was following a favorite rule of the entrepreneur’s unwritten code: find ways to get paid to do what you want to do.

Thinking this way is new to Marnie. She says, “Before I had my own business, I just assumed  I could only do things that I had the money for. Now I look for ways to make things happen in the most creative possible way. Sometimes that involves no money at all.”

There’s a silly scene in Wayne’s World which finds Wayne and Garth lying on the hood of their car at the end of an airport runway reveling in the wake caused by planes taking off.

Mike Myers says this scene was inspired by a favorite pastime in his family called No Money Fun.

The idea was to come up with entertaining activities that didn’t cost a cent.

When I heard Myers tell the story, I thought, “No wonder he’s so creative. What a great thing to learn early in life.” No Money Fun is a terrific way to activate the imagination and it comes with the built-in reward of all that free fun.

There are two ways to bring more No Money Fun into your life.

You can take advantage of all the free things around you such as strolling through a beautiful public garden or museum.

The other option is to use alternative currencies. No, I’m not suggesting you take up counterfeiting. I am, however, challenging you to become as creative as possible about finding alternative routes to have and do more of what you want.

This is not about becoming a certified cheapskate, however. In fact, you’ll notice that the wealthy are masterful at using alternative currencies in place of cash.

Cheapskates, on the other hand, pride themselves on deprivation. The other caution is that you only use alternative currencies to acquire things you actually want or need.

So how can you cultivate alternative currencies? Begin by refusing to ever, ever use lack of money as an excuse. You can only master this if you understand that this is a practical exercise in creative thinking and living.

Start looking for options—and open yourself to offbeat ideas.

Let’s say you want to live in a gorgeous home. Most people think that their options include buying or renting. Don’t tell that to Joe.

When he was in his early twenties, he found himself drawn to the ocean and wanted to live as close to it as possible. He got the idea to offer his services as a yacht sitter and almost immediately found himself living in luxury.

Or perhaps more travel is on your Dream List. Jan is a bookworm who published a newsletter for cozy mystery lovers. Next to books, her other great passion is England.

For nine years, she organized and led Cozy Crimes, Cream Teas and Books, Books, Books tours to the UK creating a free trip for herself and a delightful experience for other mystery lovers.

When creating innovative ways to get more of what you want, it’s essential that you design mutually beneficial arrangements. For instance, Joe didn’t just get a great place to live, he provided security for the yacht owner.

There’s an even bigger benefit in all of this, one with longterm rewards. Mastering No Money Fun is first and foremost an exercise in learning that there’s never just one way of accomplishing things.

It can banish uninspired thinking and open up a new world of creative possibility.  Best of all, you’ll be living your life from a position of abundance and imagination.

What business wouldn’t be better with that kind of thinking running it?

On the morning of my birthday last month, I awoke to an emailbox full of greetings. One in particular caught my eye. It came from my globetrotting friend Marianne Cantwell who was in Bali recovering from a freak injury to her back.

The title line simply said A Birthday Surprise. I don’t remember what went through my mind as I opened her message, but what I found was truly a surprise.

Somehow, Marianne had gathered a wide array of people from around the world to send birthday greetings to me. If you haven’t seen the video, I urge you to check it out before you read the rest of this story.

Click on here for birthday video.  Type in the password adventure (lower case).

As the day went on and phone calls joined the e-mail and postal mail greetings, I interrogated every one about their participation in the video surprise.

My sister Nancy had a great story about getting permission to have her picture taken from the rooftop of a restaurant in Athens. My friend Georgia in Sweden told me how she’d coached our mutual friend John in Minneapolis to get his picture included.

The stories went on and on. It was obvious that this project delighted the participants almost as much as it delighted me.

But there was one mystery. Who was that cute little surfer wishing me a happy birthday from Costa Rica? I couldn’t think of a soul I knew who lived there.

When I talked to Marianne, she was evasive. “I had to cheat a bit on that one,” was all she’d admit.

Then last Saturday, I had the pleasure of spending several hours with Marianne who had landed in California for a short stay. As we sat listening to the surf on the beach in Ventura, I asked her again to reveal his identity.

She hedged for a moment, then said, “He’s an entrepreneur.”

I laughed out loud. “How do you happen to know him?”

Her answer surprised and pleased me. “I found him on Fiverr,” she said. “I realized we didn’t have anyone on the video representing South America so I went looking for someone there.

“He and his father do this together and will record a message and send it for five dollars.”

Clever Marianne. Clever surfer dude and dad.

Don’t you love entrepreneurial creativity in action? I predict they all have a bright future.