Finding Little Joys in Life – Even When You Don’t Feel Happy

• The first sip of coffee in the morning.

• Staring until mesmerized by the flames of a campfire.

• Swinging on a swing like a kid. Higher! Higher!

• Walking barefoot on a warm summer day.

What do these things have in common? They’re all easily accessible little joys that are often missed when we’re not focused on the present moment. Worry, overwhelm, and so many other negative emotions can fester and steal our joy.

Earlier this week we put down one of our beloved dogs, Herk. My heart aches.

You may wonder why I am sharing this with you as it certainly is NOT a joy.

Well, for two days I’ve sat mindlessly watching reruns of Friends and Big Bang Theory. It got me through the day, of course with waves of tears.

As I woke up this morning, my thoughts immediately went to missing Herk. Then, I thought about my training as a life coach and how I might coach someone in my situation.

I decided to set an intention for the day, and my intention is “I am willing to practice finding little joys in the present moment.”

My intention was inspired by Herk, because dogs are infamous for getting joy from the simple things in the present moment.

Want to join me? Look for and appreciate micro-moments of joy and happiness in your day.

I’m talking about the teeny-tiny stuff that might make you smile or feel satisfied. The more micro-moments you find each day, the better.

For me, it doesn’t mean I will miraculously move beyond grief. Tears will likely still come and go. But I am willing to try taking small steps to get myself closer to joy even while I grieve. I planted the seed and will keep it at the top of my mind throughout the day.

A Little Bit About Intentions

An intention is a proactive statement that empowers, supports and inspires you to take action. Intentions are practical and doable, yet are all about the process, not the results.

Intentions are self-focused, meaning they empower you to take full responsibility for your life. An intention is all about YOU – everything is in your control. There’s no room to blame others because the intention is focused on you, nobody else.

Intentions practiced properly is sure to get you progress on your life desires.

Check out my previous post to learn how to create a powerful intention.

Underrated, Simple Pleasures

So, while sitting in my feelings of grief, I’m also finding little joys to savor. Today, I:

• Smelled my coffee and took that glorious first sip.
• Gave my dog Izzy some “lovies.”
• Writing is healing for me, so here I am writing this post.
• Took a break for a walk in nature with Izzy.
• Later we will take a boat ride and enjoy the sunny day and relaxing lake.

I’ll follow my intention knowing that savoring the sweet little joys of the present moment will help me slowly heal. Little joys that will infiltrate my day with the promise of better days ahead.

Appreciate the little joys that exist in every day.