About a year ago, my former business partner and still good friend, Robert Bradford, taught me a very funny trick; sign you credit card receipts in really weird ways for cheap laughs. Here’s an example: After getting back from New York, Lindsey and I picked up our car at the airport parking lot. I used my credit card to pay for the stay. The parking tenant gave me a receipt to sign, and I promptly drew a Nike Swoosh (see below) as my signature. I then handed it back to her. She looked at the signature, then looked at me like I was the craziest person she’d ever seen and gave a hearty chuckle. Lindsey and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Signing your signature with a smile is a great way to liven up the mundane checkout process. If done right, it can add just the right amount of spunk to your daily step and force you to get creative with your John Hancock.

There are no rules in how you sign your name. So next time, try a smiley face, airplane, poke-a-dots, whatever. Just make sure you get a good laugh.