How to Find Happiness in the Small Things

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Everyone seeks happiness. But have you ever felt like happiness is so out of reach?

I used to chase big dreams. I want to do business, be a top-notch architect, and be rich!

But as the years go by, the excitement dies down and you’re faced with the reality… it was actually all mundane.

I’ve reached a time where I ask, “What’s even the point of chasing all these?”

Can you relate to this, too?

You’re bored with life. Everything annoys you.

You think life throws the stupidest things at you.

And maybe you’re thinking that the only solution to feel happy is… a grand vacation, a promotion, or a perfect relationship.

Of course, these are nice things to have. However, a promotion doesn’t happen every day. Vacations last a week, or a month. A perfect relationship doesn’t exist because humans are humans.

If that’s the case, how do we achieve happiness? How do we fill the gaps?

I was confronted with an easy answer:

Be happy with the small, simple things.

Once you start noticing them, the world will feel a whole lot brighter.

How to Find Happiness in the Small Things Every Single Day

Here are a few things I do to find happiness in my life:

Journal Your First-Times

I’m a junkie with journals. I don’t record my life everyday, but almost.

As I skim my previous journals, I noticed how lively my journal was, filled with all the first times I did.

In the past three years, I went glamping for the first time. I also recorded my first day back at school teaching.

The first time I published an e-book was my first sale. My partner and I celebrated reaching 1,000 subscribers on YouTube. As well as my first sale on my photo tile business.

The first time I emceed at a church event. The time I almost got scammed in an investment.

Attending the first wedding in our friend group as a bridesmaid.

As adults, we often fall into routines. However, my journal is a testament to how much I’ve grown over the past three years.

When you do something for the very first time, your brain is fully engaged. You remember it.

But it doesn’t have to be grandiose. It can be something incredibly simple.

Have you ever tried a new route home from work?

Well, I’ve tried to deal with a 3-km walk for 30 minutes to walk home, so I can get exercise. I usually take a ride home, but this time I stirred things up. I was both scared and hyped to walk alone.

Be spontaneous enough to do new things. They can be tiny, everyday experiments.

Here are a few firsts you might try:

Maybe you can try a new coffee shop
wear a color you usually avoid (I didn’t like vibrant colors before, but now, I enjoy them!)
Taste a fruit you’ve never had before
Listen to a genre of music completely outside your usual taste
Cook a recipe from a cuisine you’ve never explored
Or simply take a moment to really look at a flower on your morning walk

Each “first” is an opportunity to break out of autopilot and engage your senses.

But for me, the best part is when you can keep a record of it.

Find Purpose in Your Every Action

As I practice slow living, I’ve also become more intentional with my actions.

I make sure that everything I do has a purpose. And even if I still don’t know what it is, I trust God will reveal the reason in due time.

And He continually does.

So, if I may ask, why do you do what you do?

Why do you clean the dishes? To keep your home clean.

Why do I work in education and not in… business, for example? Because I’ve discovered that my strengths lie in teaching others.

Why did I walk home instead of riding a bus? So I can squeeze in some exercise.

Why am I journaling my life? So I can keep a record of my youth and tell it to my grandkids.

Why am I studying so hard for the Board Exam? I want to be a topnotcher.

There is always a reason for what you do. The time you lose that reason is also the time when happiness and commitment diminish.

It’s important to be more intentional with your life.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi (And that ‘service’ can often start with the small, purposeful acts we do for ourselves and our immediate circle.)

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Stop Comparing Yourself on Social Media

Oh, social media. If you’re looking for happiness, it’s definitely not in there.

On one hand, it connects us, keeps us informed, and lets us share fun moments. On the other hand, it can be a huge thief of joy.

We scroll, and scroll. And suddenly we’re looking at perfectly filtered photos of someone’s dream vacation, their perfectly organized home, or their seemingly flawless life.

And then, the little voice in our head starts: “Why isn’t my life like that? Am I not doing enough? Am I falling behind?”

Yikes. It’s a comparison trap.

My friends were having a vacation on the beach, and my mind swirls with how much financially stable they are than I am.

But when I stopped checking my social media, I also detached myself from the envy of people travelling to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Europe.

These grandiose pictures steal my happiness in living my own small moments.

When we compare our entire, complex lives to someone else’s curated best bits, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment.

That said, take a digital detox and live more in the real world with people.

Slow Living

In a world of AI, everything’s fast, and sometimes… fake. It causes a lot of us to be intellectually and physically lazy.

Meanwhile, adopting a slow lifestyle can change your life’s cadence.

Slow living means you value presence over hurried completion.

Consider how fast we eat, walk, or talk, trying to fit everything in.

Slow living invites us to pause, breathe, and truly experience what we’re doing.

Whenever I imagine a provincial lifestyle, I always think of the series “Anne with an E.” It’s an everyday toil, but everyday was fun on the farm, with people.

People gather to meet, and they take their time to dress up. People have a time to daydream, experiment, and play.

Nowadays, transactions are so efficient that they’re stealing the beauty and peace of a slowed-down life.

Building Relationships That Matter

For four years, I’ve been cooped up inside my home. No colleagues, no new friends, no social life. The quarantine during the pandemic was every introvert’s dream.

I enjoyed the setup, to be honest. But not until four years later did I squeeze all the creativity out of myself and run out of inspiration.

With no connection, I could only rely on researching on Google.

When I’ve had enough loneliness, I realized how much I needed people. That I am nothing, I will burn out, and I will not get far without them.

And so I devoted myself to making friends.

I made friends in the church and reconnected with old friends.

The truth is, life is so much interesting when we connect with people.

People teach you a bunch of things you couldn’t learn by yourself. A lot of experiences only happen when you have good relationships around you.

I’ve learned to be more nurturing when surrounded by motherly love. I learned to manage my time, express my emotions, and was encouraged to take the lead.

People around me are giving me marriage advice since my wedding is coming up. I have people I can do Zumba with, unlike before, where I would work out alone and get tired after 15 minutes.

We are social creatures, and true happiness often comes from our connections with others.

These are the “small things” that will matter the most.

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Try New Things, Don’t Be Scared

Many “first times” become “seconds” until we become familiar with them and gain mastery. As we gain skills, we also grow in life.

If we’re not going to try anything new, we will always be in the same place, asking why life seems so boring.

Truth is, it’s not. You just have to spark your life and discover things not only about yourself, but the world.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch

Loving and Appreciating the World Around You More

Have you experienced living inside your head? As a daydreamer, it is a great pastime.

However, sometimes we can become so engrossed in our own thoughts that we forget the external world is also exciting.

We forget to simply look up and appreciate the incredible world we live in.

Happiness in the small things is equivalent to being thankful for your experiences.

This is a spiritual thing.

You start to wonder how this world came to be. It’s so breathtaking and organized.

How is the sun so warm? And yeah, I get Vitamin D from it for free!

The sounds of a rain shower are perfect for savoring a cup of coffee. It’s cold, and would be a lovely cuddle weather.

These aren’t grand, expensive experiences. They are freely available and happen all around us, all the time. But we often walk past them, lost in thought, missing the true treasure.

Slow down. Be grateful. Live your life as if today’s the last.

Final Takeaway

The truth is, your life is already filled with countless moments of potential joy.

Your journey to happiness is a personal one, and it begins right where you are, with what you have.

So, take a deep breath, look around you, and start noticing.

You deserve all the happiness the world has to offer, and often, it’s just waiting for you to notice it in the smallest, most beautiful ways. 🙂

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