One of the biggest reasons that people go through their daily lives feeling unhappy and unfulfilled is because they fail to realize all of the little things that make them happy. When was the last time you sat down with your significant other and made a list of not only all of the things that make you happy, but all of the things that make you both happy together. I urge you to go and do this now if you can. Don’t worry, I’ll wait…
All done? Good. Now hopefully you went all out and your list included things such as taking a nice hot shower, enjoying a bowl of soup after being out in the cold, watching your favourite TV program with no interruptions, etc. Notice that the things on your happy list can be very minor indeed.
Now here comes the really important part. Your job is to make sure that every day you are incorporating some of these things into your life. The nice thing is that no matter how busy your life may be, there is always a way to squeeze a couple of things in there that will make you happy every day.
Many people ask me if being happy is really this simple. I always answer by saying, “yes, for some people it can be.” Just think for a moment what your day to day routine would be like if every hour or two you were doing something that made you happy that was by choice. A lot of you may already do this and not even realize it. Doing this may be the undiscovered secret of your generally happy demeanour.
Some of the examples I gave above can easily contribute to a happier you. If you can’t watch your favourite TV program live, then record it and watch it after the kids are in bed with a cold beer or nice glass of wine. The next time you’re in the shower, truly enjoy the feeling of getting clean, the feeling of the hot water cascading over you, the feeling of the heat and steam washing away the aches and pains of the day. There is always a way to feel happy and satisfied.
The next time life feels a little hectic and you feel like you never get any time to do what you want, consult your happy list and get to work. Finding out the little things that make you happy might be the biggest little thing you can do for yourself.
Be Happy J