“Enjoy the little things!”

There was a time when the powers that be tried to figure out ways to make life easier.  So they invented things like computers, cell phones, PDAs, and MP3 players to achieve this goal.  After all, a happy society is a digital one, right?  Well, not necessarily. 

While many of us have these things (and they do indeed make our lives a little convenient), the happiness gained from them isn’t a long-term thing.  I like my iPod, and I like listening to it when I take a thirty-minute walk, but for the other twenty-three and a half hours that it’s sitting on my shelf, it’s not really doing much for my emotional state.

It seems that as technology has advanced, the pace of society has gotten faster.  However, our overall happiness levels haven’t seemed to rise at all. In fact, it seems that there’s more instances of depression than there ever were back in the days of old-fashioned appointment books and telephones that had cords.  Or maybe depression is just talked about more now.  No matter the reasons, believe every few of us really stop to enjoy the small things in life.  We’re so focused on getting to appointments, answering our cells, and checking our email that many of us forget that there really is a beautiful world beyond our technologically advanced workspace. 

The following is but a small list of the things found in everyday life that can bring us appreciation if we just take the time to notice and acknowledge them for what they are:  small gifts of beauty and acts of kindness that come from a place that technology has yet to find.  While you spend most of your day avoiding the computer, taking even just ten seconds to really appreciate things that come into your life on a regular basis can go a long way towards making you a happier person.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY. Even if you spend most of your day cooped up in the office, at some point, you’re getting to see the outside.  However, most people take the weather for granted.  No matter what it’s ding outside, try to appreciate it.  Bask in the brightness and warmth of a sunny day as you drive to work and opt to take your lunch outside just to enjoy the climate.  Rainy days can be downers, but going outside to dance in the rain can make you feel like a kid again.  Learn to appreciate the power of thunderstorms and the beauty of a freshly fallen snow.  Stopping to appreciate the day for what it is will give you a sense of peace that’s hard to match.

SIMPLE KINDNESS OF A STRANGER.  When people think of kind acts, they usually think of a young man helping an old lady across the road, or charity giving presents to young children whose parents are low on money.  But small acts of kindness can bring just as much joy as the big ones that everyone hears about.  Start noticing the little things people do, even if they aren’t being done for you, and appreciate the goodness that still lies in people’s hearts.  You might see someone give up their place in a long check out line to someone with fewer groceries or someone much older.  A driver on a busy highway might slow down to give you access as you merge from the entrance ramp.  The person at the end of a business call might give you a sincere wish to have a great day even though the transaction doesn’t even call for anything other than a professional attitude.  These are small things, but when we notice them, they can really warm our hearts and build our faith in the human spirit.

THE LOVE OF FAMILY.  Do you ever take your relatives for granted?  Or do you hear people constantly complaining about their spouse and kids?  Thought it’s easier sometimes to notice the negative, the love of your family is a wonderful thing, but it’s also the easiest to take for granted.  Call your grandparents, send a letter to a cousin, or jut keep in touch with your siblings or parents.  Appreciate how they’ve built your life, and how growing up with the family you did has shaped who you are today for a better or for worse.  Everyone has faults, and sometimes we forget to forgive those faults when it comes to relatives.  Realize that they are a part of who you are today, and find happiness in realizing the good things that have come into your life because of them.

YOUR INDIVIDUAL STRENGTH.  Not everyone believes on himself or herself to be a strong person, which would make this one the hardest to find happiness in.  No matter how weak you believe you are, you have an inner strength that has most likely brought you through several hard times in your life.  Reflect on those times and see how far you’ve come by the power of your own will and determination.  Appreciate what you’ve been able to do, whether it was something as big as finding the courage to get out of an abusive relationship, or something as small as working towards finding a better career.  Every step you have taken in life has been full of conflict that you have had to be strong to overcome in one way or another.  Never lose sight of that and take joy in both all you have done and what you are yet to do.

The mindset that something great and wonderful has to happen before we can be happy is a myth.  If you believe that winning a prize or buying yourself that great item that you’ve been wanting so long is going to make you happy, you’re absolutely right.  It will make you happy… for about two hours.  Then you’ll be looking for something else to bring on that shot of joy.  Take pleasure out of the little things in life that happen more frequently and you’ll find that long-term solution to true happiness.

Article courtesy of Amanda Sposato from Yahoo Voices.