A good friend of mine and I were talking a few years back about how we would love to write in a diary on a daily basis, but that we’re too forgetful (and perhaps lazy), to do so. A few weeks after that, she told me she bought a tiny notebook and that she’s going to start writing one thing that makes her smile each day.
I thought it was a great idea, but only years later did I choose to adopt the routine. It’s been almost a month now that I’ve been recording at least one thing that puts a smile on my face. From a text message or a Skype conversation to a random encounter in the streets, I’ve noticed that there is simply too much in this world we have to be thankful for. Here are some other things I’ve noticed that I think are worth sharing.
- Increased consciousness.Getting into the habit of recording these happy incidents has made me more aware of the events in my day. I have become a lot more conscious of the subtle happy moments that I would have not noticed otherwise.
- Happiness is in the little things.Sometimes I look back on what I had written the days or weeks before. When I read them over, it’s always little things that have made my day: a kind gesture from a stranger, a funny face my dad made on Skype, a text message from a good friend overseas. Happiness doesn’t come from big extravagant events necessarily, the little things mean just as much, if not more.
- Be grateful, you’re blessed.So far, a day hasn’t passed where I’ve had to think really hard about what to write. After a couple of weeks of doing this, I’ve realized that we always, always, always have something to smile about, and that’s something to be grateful for. Usually, more than one thing makes my list for the day, and that in and of itself, makes me feel blessed.
- Everyone impacts you in a different way.Most of the people that contribute to my happiness re-occur frequently, such as my family and close friends. But at times, there are those who I don’t know that well, or am in the process of getting to know who put a smile on my face. Everyone you meet and interact with touches you in a different way, and I’m learning to appreciate every little encounter.