Continuing with our pursuit of happiness – a great movie by the way!
“Don’t sweat the small stuff” they say. And they – whoever “they” are, have a good point. It is easy to get caught up in all the petty things that stress us out and ruin our day. Frankly, it is not worth wasting a lot of energy on a lot of things that happen daily that we do not like. Sure, we could get upset over the fact that someone else took the last good parking spot, or that the grocery store is out of our favourite brand of cereal. Or we can choose to not make a big deal out of it and use that small, insignificant stuff to practice seeing the positive side of things. Having to park further away means we get to exercise a little and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine for a couple of minutes while we stroll into the office. Not being able to find our favourite cereal, means we get a chance to try something new that we may like even better.
There are often two sides to any situation and as human beings we have a choice in how we look at it. Make it a goal to look on the bright side and watch your happiness and contentment go up. Then take it a step further and start to really pay attention to all the good stuff around you. Slow down and appreciate life if you will.
There is a lot of value in noticing all the positive things around you. There are a lot of tiny trivial things around you that will put a smile on your face, it you take the time to notice them. Make it a habit to spend some of your downtime this week to savour the small stuff. Notice how your cup of coffee smells, how it warms your hands on a cool morning, and how it tastes. Pay attention to the birds outside your window and notice how watching them and their antics around the birdfeeder makes you smile. Appreciate the hug your little one gives you after you pick her up from school. In other words, savour all the small stuff that makes you happy. It may not be much, but it all adds up to an incredibly happy life. You just must make the time to notice it.
Over the coming weeks, practice noticing and savouring the small things in life. Do not let the harmful stuff bring you down. Instead, make it a goal to find something positive about everything that happens to you throughout the day. Pay particular attention to all the things that make you smile. Acknowledge them and it will not take long before you feel this simple little exercise making a significant difference in your overall outlook on life.
Phoenix Education 