Living
in a society that promotes looking far ahead, seeing the “big picture”, and
finally reach that ultimate goal that we are all so sure will bring us an
endless amount of happiness. It’s always to have long-term goals, but sometimes
we forget to stop and take stock of all the little things that bring us
happiness through out the day: a nice text message, date nights, time spent
with friends, family, running into someone you haven’t seen in awhile, fresh
flowers, a kind gesture from a stranger, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about
the big picture, but sometimes it really is the small things that adds up to be
the big thing. Today Peter Minkoff has written a beautiful guest post about
some of the small things in life that can bring us so much happiness.
We
all strive to find happiness and live our best lives. However, striving to
reach a certain goal doesn’t always mean that we will reach it. Happiness is
not easily defined and trying to reach it can take us on different paths. So,
being aware of what we want in life and the things that will make us content is
the first step to happiness. Having said that, there are some things that will
have a positive effect on all of our lives regardless of our goals - those are
the little things in life. There’s even research
that shows that the frequency of positive feelings is more correlated with the
overall happiness than the intensity of those feelings.
Music
Listening
to music can bring us real joy. You should always have your iPod ready for those
situations when you can’t listen to your music out loud. Make a playlist of all
your favorite songs and listen to it on your way to work. This will make you
happy and will prepare you for all the challenges you might face in the office.
A
kind gesture
Kind
gestures go both ways. When you do something nice for someone, you are making
their day, which will make you feel better as well. A kind gesture can be
anything nice we do for other people. It might be holding the doors for
someone, buying your friend a cup of coffee, taking the trash out when no one
asked you to… The important thing is that we did something nice. It will make
us feel good knowing that we did it.
Stretching
A
good stretch goes a long way. Stretching
relaxes our muscles, lowers our blood pressure, improves circulation, and has a
positive effect on our mood. So, when you wake up tomorrow make sure you
stretch in bed before you get up. Stretching can be great for your workday as
well. If you have a sedentary job you should stretch in the office as well. It
might look funny but the positive effects are serious, seriously positive.
Romance
This
is an obvious one, but we sometimes need reminding. Having a stable romantic
relationship and someone we can share those everyday little things with brings
us great joy. So, if you are still looking for that special someone or if you
are in a relationship, stop making
dating mistakes and start appreciating what you have. Tell your
partner how you feel, do something nice for them and welcome joy in your life.
Mini
vacation
You
don’t have to wait a whole year to go on vacation - you can have one every day.
Take fifteen minutes every day and turn them into your vacation. Think of
something you enjoy doing and let yourself enjoy your fifteen minutes. It can
be as simple as having a cup of coffee, reading your favorite blog, texting
your friend… Your fifteen minutes should be about you - don’t think about work
or other commitments and relax.
Pets
Spending
time with our pets can help us cope with stress and make us happy. They are
adorable, they love us, and they are always very happy to see us. Spending time
with our pets if better for our health than any other activity we
can think off, it is even better than exercising! Tonight when you get home from
work let your pet know how much you love them. If you don’t have a pet there is
a solution - make friends with your friends’ pets. You can offer to take them
out for a walk. Your friends will definitely appreciate you helping them with
their pets and you are sure to feel good for helping your friends while
spending time with a friendly fluff ball.
Music, Pets, A Holiday, A Kind Gesture, Family,
ReplyDeleteall give meaning to life every single day !!!
Can't live without doing good. Can't life without DOGS, Vacations, Music & My Family
I could not agree more! :)
DeleteLovely post.
ReplyDelete