When you focus on the smaller things in life you tend to find the greatest happiness.
Ever heard of warm fuzzies? Warm fuzziness are the things that cause those feelings of happiness (usually accompanied by a soft smile)
Happiness is waking up in the morning to that bowl of your favorite cereal that you’ve looked forward to since you brought it home from the store -ignore the fact that it is totally unhealthy.
It is the beautiful sight, sound, scent and feel of a newly bathed snugly baby.
It can be sitting down on the couch, in front of a fire on a chilly night to watch the
newest episode of your favorite TV show.
It’s getting a backrub from the love of your life or picking out a favorite outfit to
wear to work, or even a special event.
It’s also that delightful feeling you get at night while lying in bed and you wake up
just a tad, roll over, resettling  your arm under the pillow and the sheet is cool.
These are all examples of what many of us would consider ‘little things’ but that
doesn’t mean that they can’t be absolutely instrumental in helping us to feel happier.
These are ‘creature comforts’ and pleasant asides but they are super powerful in
raising our mood and helping us to feel on top of the world
… but you’ve got to notice them and most people don’t.
So the question is, how do you get to the point where little things make you happier and
how do you make sure you have a constant supply of such things to make you happy?
Finding out and listing the Little Things
The first thing to do is to find those little things and to make sure they keep coming. All of us have things that make us feel great and all of us have hobbies and activities that we enjoy. Create a list of things you like. Not big stuff. Make it a point to see how many things you can list that you truly enjoy but are actually small or common things.  The list will also help make you more aware of the things that are already happening but that are ignored.
The trick then is to figure out ways you can enjoy those things on a regular basisâ
whether it’s a favorite food, favorite outfit or your favorite TV show.
Next, you gotta plan. You  need to come up with a plan that allows you to create
maximum enjoyment with those things.. Here is where delayed gratification comes in.
A little ‘pleasure delay’ can work wonders for getting your anticipation growing, and anticipation makes everything better.
Ideally you want to spend the whole day looking forward to that thing that you want
to do in the evening. Don’t constantly indulge yourself, but instead build up the moment
in your mind and look forward to it (at least for a few hours if not all day) happening.
Great Things to Do
The problem is that many of us don’t know how to make the most of our spare time.
Learn to make the most of your spare time. #LifeBTB #Happiness Share on XWe think we donât have time to do the things we need to do, much less any extra
or spare time. But we really do. Most American adults spend well over 5 hours a day
vegging in front of the television watching stuff we donât even really care about and
then gripe because we have no spare time.
Television time IS spare time. And if we are smart we will make better use of it.
In truth, there are countless things we enjoy (or would enjoy had we ever taken
the TIME to try them) that we could be doing during that now âreclaimedâ
spare time and the vast majority of them are free.
You could explore a local park- take your camera or use your smart phone to take
tons of pictures and videos. You can then download a free image editor and have
a blast turning them into masterpieces.
Do you live near a beach? Just sitting with your feet in the water as it
rolls in and out is relaxing, yet fun.
You could read that book you bought ages ago and forgot about or go to the library
and see if there is anything interesting in some subjects you never thought about before.
You could try cooking something weird and ambitious or just make something you
are good at, turn it into your specialty, and then cook or bake it for friends, neighbors
or colleagues once in a while. You could try to plant your own bonsai tree or
hens and chicks. (look them up online to find out what they are and how to grow them)
Topiaries are an amazing art form. Â Do a google search and see all that come up.
There are a million different activities to choose from (even if there are only
999,999 that is still a lot of things to check out) and surely you can find several
things you find interesting and would enjoy doing.
Spend some time thinking about all the exciting things you could do at home to
create happiness and make a habit of writing more ideas down as they come to you.
Indulge in your favorite food in the mean time and if that doesn’t create happiness,
you need to change your favorite food to something better.
With a little though and planning, suddenly your life will be filled with amazing
little moments of enjoyment that give you warm fuzzies and a smile.
What things came to your mind while reading this? Â Grab and pen and paper
and start making the list of little things you would enjoy and you might
even start becoming happier just making the list.
Accountability Coach & SmBiz Boomer
