The truth is, everyone is seeking happiness. We all want to know how to achieve real joy. We spend hours, days, months, probably even years trying to escape the routine that our lives have succumbed to. Whether we do it through Instagram, video games, throwing ourselves into a new hobby, making tons of friends, looking at porn, working really hard and making lots of money.... Everyone is trying to grip some kind of joy in life.
Often times, I have found that my attempts at creating happiness have left me empty. In my journey to spice up my mundane life, I am left with the same old worries and anxious thoughts. At the end of the day, I'm still doing the same chores, listening to the same gossip, circling around the same conversations with the same people... Never really grasping anything more than a very brief glimpse of real happiness. Never fully submerged in it. Of course, I love my friends, I love laughing with them and learning about them, but when I really think about it, days are passing by quickly and life is moving fast, AM I TRULY HAPPY IN THIS LIFE?
Well, guess what? About a year ago I realized I wasn't.
A dear friend of mine introduced me to a book, one that truly changed my life. Through reading this book I discovered the secret to a happy life.
There is an answer, one word that will help slow down these agonizingly, humdrum days. A word that will open your eyes to the captivating beauty that we are missing every single day because our eyes and minds are glued to the routine.
The word is this: gratitude.
It might seem silly -- maybe you think you have been thankful and nothing in your life has changed. But I want to challenge you to a new level of thankfulness. Take a minute every single day, to truly be thankful. Enjoy every aspect of the little treasure that you have discovered that day. Soak it all in, slow down that moment. When you're finished, write it down. Start a collection of these delicate, little life gems.
These "little things" are precious; they are gifts. They will create something lovely in you, a new routine that will produce authentic joy.
Here are a few of my treasures:
1. Golden hour sunlight on a hardwood floor.
2. Sunday afternoon naps.
3. Porch swings.
4. Mumford lyrics that help make sense of everything.
5. Finding a good deal at Old Navy.
I hope you will allow this secret to transforming your heart and life, and feel free to share it with others! Soak in the little things today, my friend.
