lying on grass

Can appreciating the little things in life make you more joyful?

Wellness/Health

We often hear people saying it’s the little things in life that make us happy. But for some reason we are still always chasing the big things.

We are guilty of thinking the next job will change our lives. Then the next job comes and it takes us a week and we are back pining for another one. Sometimes we even forget to take a moment to be grateful for the job we got. Even though we wanted it so badly.

We use excuses like if we won the lottery our lives would be great. Your life can be better right now if you took the time to enjoy the little things in life.

So what are some of the little things in life that you can enjoy? 

Little things in life list

  • The way the clouds move and form shapes
  • The smell of fresh air
  • The way rain pours down in a thunderstorm
  • The sound of a thunderstorm
  • The crackle of lightening 
  • The laugh of someone you love
  • How you feel when you break out into dance
  • The freedom you feel when you sing in the shower
  • The energy you feel during a workout 
  • The taste of coffee or tea
  • That walk after work
  • Your dog licking you out of happiness 
  • That hot meal 
  • That warm bread from the oven
  • Your family being there for you
  • Family dinner
  • Dinner with your friend 
  • Cozying up in a blanket 
  • A warm bath
  • A hot shower
  • Your new lipstick making you feel beautiful 
  • A slice of cake
  • Your friend checking in on you 
  • A compliment for your hard work
  • Putting a smile on a loved ones face 
  • The appreciation someone gives when you do something nice
  • That feeling you get when you help someone out
  • That inside joke that happened 10 years ago but still puts a smile on your face
  • Reading a new book
  • The ending to your favourite love story
  • The feeling of completing something 
  • Jumping into the lake
  • Going for a bike ride 
  • Learning a new skill 
  • Picking up a new hobby 
  • Laying on the grass
  • Having the sunshine on your face
  • Walking barefoot
  • Hugging a tree
  • Hugging a loved one 
  • Seeing a friend after a long time
  • Your morning routine 
  • Waking up early in the morning 
  • Hearing birds chirp
  • The sound of silence 
  • Stargazing 
  • Rocking a new outfit
  • The smell of freshly washed clothes 

That’s my small things list but what is yours? Start thinking and writing in your journal. You can even take this and tick off the moments you enjoy and try noticing them next time. When you focus on these things you will notice them more often. 

Go through the Pigeontalk list and think of times when you went through those moments. What did you feel? Visualise being in that moment right now. How does that make you feel?

Rewiring your brain by thinking about the little things in life

We are so focused on getting that next big thing we don’t realize the importance of getting a smile from the small things. Small things add up and there is a cumulative impact that occurs.

Think about 10 small things that made you smile today. Keep doing this before bed for the next 21 days. Make it a habit

This will rewire your brain. You will start perceiving everything from a different light. It is all about perception. We could be in the best of situations have everything and feel alone. On the other hand, you have probably seen people in the worst of situations with a smile on the face.

We are out there chasing our purpose but it could be about finding purpose through the small things. When you change the way you think your life changes slowly. Things open up for you that you never even imagined. 

The journey versus the destination

When you learn to enjoy the small things you realize the importance of the journey versus the destination. The journey is the long run while the destination is just a moment. 

If you learn to enjoy the journey you will be willing to put in the hard work. Let’s use starting a small business for example. You aren’t going to start up running with millions of clients. You are going to have to do something small every day to get there. When you learn to enjoy the blessing of the journey it will be easier for you to get to the end goal. It will also stop being up to the end goal. Because if it is all about the end goal when you get there you just ending up making a new one. It becomes a situation of what’s next. In this feeling of what’s next, we don’t appreciate the now.

Wrap up for the little things in life

Appreciating the small things make you more present in the moment. You don’t want to multitask and do 10 things at the same time. You learn the appreciate what is in front of you. This can reduce the stress of always thinking about the future. These small practices can increase the joy in your life.

PigeonTalk

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