We all have dreams and goals we hope to accomplish. For some, it might be to get that dream house or car. For others it might be to get that scholarship or to be successful in one’s career path. It might even be the dream of having a really exotic wedding which requires us to go through a lot of ups and downs and twist and turns and put in hours of hard work in other to reach them.
For all this labour, a little incentive or reward is usually welcome to serve as an encouragement to never give up until we reach the finish line.
But we eventually find out that these things don’t really exist.Instead, we’re pressured to not only complete our goals but to also do so in due time, meaning we have deadlines. These deadlines, be it societal, mental or imaginary; tends to frustrate us and tempt us to give up.
And so many times we fail to notice that we are surrounded by small and often unexpected pleasures in life that can make us smile each and every day. These pleasures make the journey to our big goals a little happier and more meaningful.
I am just going to list a few of these ‘pleasures’ we sometimes overlook.
1 Finding money in your pocket that you didn’t know you had
2 Being asked by someone who cares how you are doing
3 A child smiling at you for no particular reason in public
4 Having a long, deep, phone conversation with someone you care about and haven’t spoken to in a while.
5 A stranger giving you a genuine compliment
6 Laughing out loud at a funny video, movie or memory
7 A gesture of kindness from someone in your life -as simple as your friend helping you pack your washed clothes from the line.
8 A meaningful, long hug from somebody you care about
9 Watching the sunset or the sunrise
10 Listening to your favourite artist or album
11 Handing holds with someone you love
12 Having some time to yourself to read a book you love
13 Achieving a small victory, like cooking yourself breakfast
14 Taking the time to help someone with their problems
15 Trying out a new recipe and creating something delicious.
16 Spending some time with your pets
17 Watching people playing and laughing together, reminding you of the joy in the world
18 Waking up and realizing it’s a public holiday or there’s no class
19 A smell you love from ginger tea, to freshly baked bread
20 Reminiscing with old friends about fun, old times.
In conclusion, the next time you feel like things are not going your way, learn to focus on the little things that are often lost in space, but are valuable all the same.
Cheekah