You know those little sayings? The ones that you find on cards, mugs, and ring holders? Have you ever stopped to think about them? I mean they sound cute and maybe even a little trendy so you buy them to decorate your room, but do you ever think about what they say? Over the years, I have come to realize that I love those sayings. Although they're small, they have great meaning especially when I’m feeling emotional. And sometimes, they give me just the perfect amount of inspiration.

I was in a store the other day and found a table filled with little knickknacks and the theme was “grateful”….each one was about something you should be grateful for. “Grateful for family,” “Grateful for great friends,” even “Grateful for the weekend.” It made me think, about the times we live in, the stress we live with, the horrific events of the past few months and I thought this is the perfect time to just stop and think. Think about our lives and what we have to be grateful for, because there really is so much. As one of the mugs said, “There is always something to be grateful for.”

On a good day, be grateful that the sun is shining, your favorite TV show is on tonight, or that your hair looked really good today. On a bad day, be grateful that you have amazing friends who are ready to listen to you sob, comfort you, and make you feel special or be grateful that there’s chocolate in the bottom cabinet. Why not, right? Why not appreciate the little things?

Another mug-saying I saw was “Believe in Happy.” I mean, I love this! If I was going to break down these three little words, I would say it means happiness is real. Happiness is attainable. I’m not talking about smiley happy all the time people. Just happy. In glimpses. In moments we happen to catch ourselves smiling or laughing. When we get a compliment from a stranger or see a loved one after an extended period of time. Isn’t that happiness? Even for just an instant. So yes, wise mug saying, we should all believe in “happy”. And if that’s the case, we need to work to make happy happen. Really think about what brings us joy, like being with special friends, having a great meal, traveling, or doing something to give back to our communities to help others who aren’t as fortunate. That makes my heart happy for sure.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, find inspiration everywhere. Be it in big public events or in short sentences written on glassware. You never know when it will strike, but you must always be open to it. Don’t only live your life looking at the big picture, or else you could miss the little things. Take the time to focus on the small things as well. The things that can bring you a little happiness in your everyday life. And when people ask you where you learned all of your life lessons, maybe say something cool like my coach or my mom, or actually, I found this great saying on a “mug”, because remember, inspiration comes from anywhere but mostly from within.