Spring rain means our doormats really get an extra workout. So why not add a splash of color to one of the first things you see when you come home everyday? Buy a bright, new, fun doormat. You'd be surprised how many varieties you can find at a local garden center or shopping mall…and how much brighter a little change like this can make your day.

For more inexpensive ways to brighten your home:

• Beautiful Houseplants That Clean Indoor Air
• A Trick for Spring-Cleaning (and Fixing…and Organizing)
• The Beauty of Outdoor Lighting

April showers may bring May flowers, but they also can be dreary. You can make a splash and cheer your soul with a colorful raincoat or poncho. Bright yellow, neon green or fire engine red work well for both men and women. Slip into a bright slicker, and it will brighten your day.

Or grab a playful umbrella instead of the somber black. How about one that’s raining cats and dogs? Or a patriotic red, white and blue? You’ll have a spring in your step. You may even find yourself singing in the rain.

For more ways to brighten your day—including expert advice from Louise Hay:

• Louise L. Hay on the Amazing Power of Positive Affirmations
• 7 Tricks to Stay Positive
• Retrain Your Brain—and Break Free from the Patterns that Are Holding You Back

Take a look at the clothes you’re wearing….your home’s décor…even the color of your car. Are your walls beige or white? Are your clothes black? You could be in a color rut. Some people have this problem to the extreme—it’s called chromophobia. Luckily, most of the rest of us are simply stuck in one place when it comes to color. But there is an entire rainbow out there just waiting to be sampled. Make one simple change—buy a colorful T-shirt, throw pillows or napkins, and see how it feels. You might enjoy seeing yourself or your home in new colors—and that’s energizing!