Do you still have your bags packed for that magical place called Happy?

You know that place. The place you’ll be when you find true love. The place you’ll be when the scales show your ideal weight and the cellulite disappears. The place where you’ll own your own home and you’ll be financially secure. The place where all of life’s challenges, suddenly, magically, stop…

You know that place doesn’t exist, right? ‘Happy’ won’t suddenly appear when – and if - we achieve these things. In fact, continuing to pack our bags for it and believing true contentment is just down the road of life is robbing us of the true joy that can be found right here. Today. Now.

You see, happiness is found in small things. All we have to do is be present enough to catch them – and enjoy them. So, how to start? It’s a three-step process. Making the choice to be happy, being grateful with what’s right in front of you and living in the Right Now while letting go of the past AND the future.

Let’s step it out together…

Choose To Be Happy

Happiness is a choice - it’s true. Making your mind up to be happy is as simple as that - it’s a daily decision. Choosing to be happy is about adopting a positive approach, to yourself and life around you. Choosing to be present with small joyful things is a decision you need to make everyday. And it’s a powerful one. Happiness isn’t going to ‘happen’ to you. It comes from inside you. So make the choice – and stick to it.

Be Grateful For What’s Right In Front Of You

Forget the big picture. Look closely at the small picture. Once you start looking and acknowledging, you’ll see the small things that bring pleasure and meaning to you, personally. Sunrise and strong coffee, bright red fingernails, cuddles with little ones, tulips in bloom, scrumptious linen or just the belly laughs that come from chatting with a friend.

Notice these glorious small things and cherish them, enjoy them, hold onto them. These are the small, wonderful things that make up your daily life. Pack them together, day after day, and you’ll live a happier, more present life. All we have is right now, remember? Which leads us to…

Live In The NOW and Let The Past And Future Go.

It’s easy to spend time in our heads. Regretting the past, worrying about the future… Spending time in our heads playing out the past and fearing the future is something we need to pull ourselves out of. Yep, we literally need to keep taking our own hand and dragging ourselves back into the Right Now.

Because the Right Now is where life happens and that’s where the small things that make us content can be found.

If we’re not present to them, we won’t see them - and we’ll miss them, again and again. If the present moment keeps slipping away from you, simply keep bringing it back. The more you do it, the more automatic it gets. Promise.

Now, the kicker: Stop Waiting

So, you might be thinking ‘That all sounds great Aims and I will get to living presently and finding joy in the small things once I’ve done this, achieved that, packed that away and put that to bed…'

STOP waiting.

Stop putting off being present and content with the small things that are right in front of you. If you’re thinking safety or certainty can be achieved by ‘holding on’ in our heads to the things that ‘need’ to be achieved in order to be happy, safe or accomplished, wait a sec – this year has taught us that nothing is truly certain.

So instead, don’t wait to be happy, or to have it ‘all together’ before you can enjoy your life.  Build on your capacity to experience true joy in the small things and let your positivity flow into every area of your life. That, my friends, is when the magic happens.

What we project is what we attract. See joy, feel joy – and it will flow back to you.

Header Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash