How to Appreciate the Little Things in Life?
What is it to truly appreciate the small, ordinary things in our daily lives? Appreciating the small, ordinary things in life involves feeling gratitude toward them, nurturing, and appreciating these everyday items, as well as away from them, the irritating, unpleasant, or painful events. It does not mean that you have to throw away all of the small, ordinary items in your life, but rather, practice gratitude and appreciative behavior towards them.
In our daily lives, we are bombarded with negative, discouraging, and irritating events. We are bombarded by what we perceive as the "norm" in life. If there are a lot of people who are negatively impacting our lives in a negative manner, it would be very beneficial for us to focus more of our attention and energy on these negative individuals. Doing so would help us develop and strengthen our negative "but strong" positive emotions and self-esteem.
How to Appreciate the Little Things in Life starts by applying what is referred to as the law of gratitude. The law of gratitude states that whatever you focus your attention on will come to you in due time. It is this un-timely focus on the negative that tends to diminish our appreciation of the little, ordinary things in life, and leads us to feel resentment toward all of the little ordinary things we encounter in our daily lives.
One of the best ways to start feeling grateful is to focus on the small things that you are grateful for in your life. For example, when you say "thank you," try to envision or speak in your mind the exact words or phrases that will adequately express your gratitude. Perhaps you could say "I'm grateful for having a job that allows me to have time with my children." Regardless of the specific wording you use, the idea is to essentially say "Thank you for doing what I would do or have if I had the money."
In addition to saying the simple word "thank-you," another way to start feeling grateful right now is to make an effort to think about or create something small that would have appreciated by you in the past. It may be something that someone else gave to you on a day you forgot to appreciate it. It may be the kind of music that made you fall asleep at the end of a long day at work. It could be the seat you have at a favorite restaurant.
Whatever it is, you should choose to think of the good things you were grateful for and remind yourself of them every time you feel yourself begin to forget about the little things.
One more step in how to appreciate the little things in life is to practice being thankful for all the positive things in your life. Studies have shown that practicing gratitude helps us maintain positive thoughts and attitudes in the face of negative events or circumstances. It also helps us to see the glass half full instead of just seeing it half empty. According to Dr. Patrick Macrina, director of the Neuro-Linguistic Programming Institute in San Diego, California, our brains naturally use affirmations to guide us through our day. If you're not using positive affirmations as a habit, now is the time to start.
In your gratitude journal, write down anything you would like to be grateful for and make a list of the specific type of thing you were able to get or create. Next, write down the outcome that you are most grateful for: the kind words you used to describe the event or circumstance, the gift you received, or anything else that occurred to you. The next thing you do is write down your list again. Take note of everything that you wrote down. Put together a story based on all the things you wrote. This exercise will help you develop a way of appreciating the little things in your life and it will give you a wonderful sense of gratitude.
When you use gratitude as part of your daily habits and routines, it becomes an integral part of who you are. Gratitude has a powerful effect on the mind and body. It causes the body to release chemicals that create a sense of well-being and encourages you to feel good. How to Appreciate the Little Things in Life starts with your gratitude journal. Writing things down, even if you don't think you will act on them, creates a space in your life for appreciation.