One of the more important things that I’ve learned throughout my life is that you don’t have to do something grandiose to be happy. Enjoy the process, the little things that are there daily. It sounds much easier to do than it actually is.
Sunrise on a clear morning is one of the prettiest things that nature can offer us. You can just stare at it and forget about all the problems that you have. At that moment you just bathe in its beauty. Or going to the forest and engulfing yourself in all the greenness around you. You get completely lost in it. It forces you to relax and to take a look back at your rhythm, to take a look at your chaotic mind and help it take a break.
I personally have an issue that my mind is always on, always full of thoughts. Doesn’t matter if it’s 1 am or 2 pm, I’m always thinking. I find this simply annoying as it doesn’t allow me to relax. Ever. Personally, being in nature and focusing on on these little things helps quiet the mind.
Once you go to the mountains and you see the vastness of the world your thoughts suddenly become insignificant. There’s so much space around. You can stop and just observe. Breathe in, breathe out and just let yourself be. I don’t know about you, but once I do this, I relax almost immediately. It makes me feel grateful that I have these opportunities to just be with myself in nature. Don’t get me started about sunrises in the mountains in winter… Everything’s white around and then the pink glow rises from the top of the mountains. All of them become beautifully pink… It’s almost as if you’re in a fairytale. At that moment you cannot do anything but smile. You forget about yourself, your problems, your quarrels. It’s just you and the mountains.
Little things are not only about nature. Appreciating a joke that your coworker told you can make both of you much happier. Maybe you did this one task at work? Feel proud of yourself! It’s important to understand that we only have a limited amount of time and the most effective way to use it, is to be happy every day (however cliche this may sound). It’s not achieving some kind of goal and then being satisfied. The moment when you achieve it is short, but the journey towards it… That’s where the fun really is.
The thing I’ve learned is to celebrate the small wins, appreciate the little things and spend more time in nature. I’m not perfect and I don’t follow these rules all the time. However, I try and they make my life much more enjoyable every day.