I’m beginning to recognize that real happiness isn’t something large and looming on the horizon ahead, but something small, numerous, and already here. The smile of someone you love. A decent breakfast. The warm sunset. Your everyday little joys all lined up in a row. —Beau Taplin
I firmly believe that being in a constant state of having an attitude of gratitude makes life much fuller.
As I grow older, I’ve learned that our well-being is about being happy and at peace. After all, money and material possessions can only go so far.
Have you ever saved money for a long time and finally made a purchase and a few days, weeks, or months later, it doesn’t bring you joy like it did when you first brought home your investment?
As cliche as it sounds, it’s because material things don’t truly bring happiness.
The small things life has to offer do bring joy and a sense of peace.
Today, I wanted to share with you some small things that make me happy (in no particular order).
I would LOVE it if you could comment below and share some things that make you happy!
- Flowers – It’s obvious from the photo and my Instagram feed that I love flowers, right? They liven up any space in my home and I just smile when I walk past them. Sometimes I like taking a close look at them just to see their intricate beauty!
- Laughter – If you’ve ever been in a conversation where someone’s laugh is funnier than the joke, you’d totally get me on this one. Oh and a baby/child’s laughter just makes me want to burst with joy!
- Puppies – Puppies and puppy videos get me every time. I always end up feeling better afterwards…and wanting to adopt them all! Instahusky is my new favorite pet account on Instagram!
- Happy news/good deeds – I’ve always said that if I were to ever start a television show, it would be called Happy Channel TV. Also known as HCTV (which is also my initials, haha)! My favorite feel-good Instagram accounts to follow are TankGoodNews and Little Things USA.
- Seeing and hearing my mom laugh – Have you ever just sat there to take in the way someone expresses their joy? I did just that a few weekends ago and it just warmed my heart. As I paid attention to her smile, body language and crows feet as she doubled over from one of my jokes, I was overcome with happiness!
- Hearing my church congregation sing – Sometimes, the praise team takes a step back from their mics and all you hear is everyone else sing. I take it all in my closing my eyes and just focusing on the beautiful voices I hear around me.
- Seeing someone cry once they achieve their goal(s) – I love seeing people let it all go and express how they feel in a moment. Most recently? When Shaun White won gold during the Men’s Halfpipe. Not all success comes in one fell swoop. Sometimes, success happens after many failures and even in public. I loved how he just let go, cried and hugged those around him. The image taken of him in that moments surrounded by loved ones with the flag wrapped around him in pure joy just made me want to cry.
- Crawling into bed after a hot shower – There is only two moments in life where this makes me so happy. One, coming home from travels and two, after a hard workout.
- Leaving the office knowing it’s your last work day before your vacation – There’s just a different level of excitement about going on vacation. Even if it’s a short one, it’s such a great feeling that sometimes I want to run out!
- Seeing excitement from someone else – After watching Lydia‘s videos, there’s one thing she’s taught me: to remember to be excited about everything in life. She gets excited when she sees her loved ones, when she receives/opens packages, when her cats get along, going to her first yoga class and so much more. Her and Megan have really taught me to be excited about everything even if it seems dorky to someone else.
This is just a short list that I can think of off the the top of my head of small things that make me happy. Obviously there’s more, but I’ll add those to this post in the future should I remember!
Looking for something in particular?
