20 things that make me happy

Happiness is a state of mind! It is not how much you have but rather how you feel about how much you have that can make you feel content, happy and fulfilled. In this earlier post about pursuit of happiness, I wrote about 8 ways to develop and find happiness in your daily life.

Happiness can be found on a daily basis – we do not have to wait for special occasions. It can be spending time with family, being thankful to God for His blessings, taking out time for self care or doing something good for others.

Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things.

Walt Disney

Be happy with what you have. Be excited about what you want.

Alan Cohen

The most important thing is to enjoy your life- to be happy. It’s all that matters.

Audrey Hepburn

In today’s post, I am writing about 20 things that make me happy:

1. My children

My two kids have been a blessing in my life. Now that they are teens, in addition to making me happy they inspire me also. I learn from them and I am amazed at how they are growing up learning to give back to the community.

2. My spouse

I am married to my high school sweetheart and have known him for 3 decades now. We do have our share of ups and downs, but at the end of the day I am happy and grateful for the relationship we share and the support I have from him.

3. Morning cup of tea

Who doesn’t like a hot beverage in the morning – be it a cup of coffee or tea? Although being a working parent I barely have enough time to sit and enjoy my tea, I take it on the go and that starts my day happy and bright.

4. My dog

We have been fostering dogs since 2016 and tomorrow our foster Hayley is going for her sleepover and may find her forever home. We are happy to be able to get this fostering experience and each of the dogs we have had have brought us love, affection and lots of happiness!

5. Writing

I have always enjoyed reading the writing from my kids and students but now that I am a blogger and write a post almost every weekend, I have realized how happy blogging makes me. I love writing and blogging has given me a platform to jot my thoughts, and make me happy in the process!

6. Talking to friends

I have to agree that technology has lessened phone conversations and we text more than talk, but the monthly zoom calls with my friends or weekly talks I have with my extended family are a treasure and bring me a lot of happiness.

7. Weekend

Yes! Every Friday I look forward to the weekend. It gives me a chance to relax and re-charge for the upcoming week.

8. Sleeping in

I am not a morning person but have been waking up between 5 am-6 am for about 15 years now due to work schedule. I am happy when I get a chance to sleep-in and that is every weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.

9. My work

I am fortunate to find happiness in my work. I love working as an educator and meeting these young students daily. It gives me a fresh perspective and I am happy to be a small part of their lives!

10. Spa or salon

I admit, I don’t get to do this weekly or even monthly. But when I do on special occasions like birthday, anniversary or holiday, I thoroughly find happiness having these chances to relax and pamper myself.

11. Going for walks

I especially enjoy daily walks with Hayley, our foster dog, and whenever we take family walks which may not be weekly but it makes me happy whenever we get a chance to do so.

12. Taking a vacation

Vacation or visiting a new place brings me tremendous joy. Pre- COVID we used to take family vacation at least twice a year – summer and winter, and sometimes would add spring break or thanksgiving break to our outings. It is always fun and I have realized that taking vacations keeps me happy for months!

13. Going down memory lane

I love going through old pictures and videos, and these memories bring me a ton of happiness.

14. Playing family games

Spending any type of family time together brightens my day. It can be playing board games, enjoying a meal or doing anything together as a family!

15. Friday movie night

This is since COVID, so a recent addition where we watch movies every Friday night. Our recent movies have been the Avengers series and we just watched Iron Man 3 yesterday night!

16. Gardening

I love doing anything in my yard! It can be planting new flowers or tending to outdoor plants. Today morning I did weeding and those 30 min or so made me happy.

17. Starting my day right

Starting my day with some quiet and inner peace with remembrance of God makes me feel fulfilled and leads to happiness.

18. Getting a compliment

Who doesn’t like praise or encouragement? It can be a small word or act from family member, friend or the students at school. Words of encouragement and small acts of kindness makes one feel good, encouraged and happy.

19. Time to connect with your inner self

Whether it is 10 min or 30 min, taking out the time daily to be able to introspect and reflect and be thankful to God brings me calmness and happiness.

20. Having a routine

Whether it is getting up on time and not feeling rushed in morning or the nightly skin care routine or workouts, it brings happiness knowing that the day went well and you have accomplished what all you planned for the day. That it is ready for a wrap and for a new beginning the next day.

Summary

To summarize, there are small acts or gestures that bring me happiness on a daily basis. We can all try to find happiness in small things on a daily basis instead of waiting for huge milestones. Happiness and joy are all around us; we just need to stop and look for them. In our rush of life, sometimes we get so busy looking forward to things that we may forget to enjoy the present. I try to look for positivity and hope, and looking for ways to be happy brings me all that and more. You may read my earlier posts on 7 habits to cultivate, counting your blessings, and 5 benefits of having a positive attitude for more motivation and inspirations.

We would love to hear from you. Do share what makes you happy in your every day life. Please comment below or send an email to nishtha@dawnandhope.com.