This week I want to talk to you about one of my favourite topics; the importance of finding joy in your daily life.
I spent so many years believing the “big” things I wanted, the things I had been told I needed in my life were the things that would bring me joy, the things that would fulfil me. So, I focused on building a “cool” career, finding a partner, wearing fashionable clothes, being liked, being loved, building social networks and creating a visually pleasing life for the world. One they could compliment me on and click buttons the shape of hearts that indicate I am “liked”.
A list of material goals ticked off with an expensive pen.
When we focus on the big things, the future “I will be happy when they arrive things” we can easily lose track of what is right in front of us each day. The small beautiful moments. The funny, meaningful, simple, delicate things we breeze through without even realising. But, these small brilliant life minutes add up to full days stretching ahead of us, turning slowly into years, and, if we don’t appreciate them we lose them. They float away like a whisper in the wind.
When we are saving for a big holiday it doesn’t matter if we savour the smell of our freshly brewed coffee in the morning because soon we will be on a beach holding a cocktail and all our roads are leading towards this.
The planning and formulating take priority, not the life we are currently living.
I am not saying big goals are irrelevant or that we shouldn’t plan for our futures, not at all. I am saying if we only look to the future we miss the day-to-day details. And, so much of what makes life so bloody marvellous IS the day-to-day details. I love going on holiday as much of the next person, the feel of the sun or snow on my face is incredible and I am excited and thankful for any holiday I go on. But I don’t want to live a life where I am working towards something for 90% of the time and only experiencing it 10%.
I want to live 100% of the time.
Our lives are built on singular days, days that add up sure but we only ever experience them one at a time. How would our experiences change if we started to focus on our days as well as our futures; stolen moments to read a beloved book, our children laughing in another room, WhatsApp messages from friends, the sun shining on a December day, the smell of our favourite soap, holding hands across a table, our favourite song, the calm of meditation, the smell of banana bread in the oven, taking our shoes off after a long day, a postcard on the doorstep sending news from across the world, putting on our comfy clothes, taking our bras off!
Each and every day is so full of tender, loving, gentle, simple, beautiful moments.
Shall we make a pact to look for ours this week?