All of us get to a point in our lives where we say “is this it? Is this all my life is going to be?” You had dreams and aspirations and not all of them are going to come true. We can look at our own lives and it might seem mundane or underwhelming, or look at other people's lives, even people quite close to us and see that they seem to have everything we want. Its a really easy trap to fall into in the age of social media, seeing people’s lives literally through a filter that makes it seem better than it is.
Its easy to cling tightly to our dreams - we get told all the time to follow your dreams, don’t give up on your dreams. Its good to have aspirations but if our happiness is attached to them then we suffer when everything doesn’t pan out as we would like. Its a cliche but it’s really important to try to enjoy the journey of life rather than focusing on the destination. Whats the point of grinding towards something off in the future if we can’t be happy in the present?
And here's the thing: no one's life is perfect. It might not seem like it but everyone is suffering. Everyone has their struggles and challenges, no matter how picture-perfect their Instagram feed might be. The key to enjoying our lives is to cultivate gratitude for what we have, rather than focusing on what we don't have.
When we practice being aware and present in our own life, our own mundane existence, we can start to notice the small things in life that we might otherwise overlook. Taking a moment to appreciate the warmth of the sun on your skin, or the taste of a delicious plate of irish stew. A bird landing on the fence. Sharing a joke with a work colleague. A child laughing because you're so incredibly funny.
These small moments of pleasure might seem everyday, ordinary, but that's where life is hiding. Its hiding in plain sight in the wonderful, miracle of our existence. When we feel gratitude for our little joys, we’re walking the path of happiness.
The key thing to remember is that joy isn’t like the good silverware, something that we only bring out when there’s a special occasion. We can apply it to the little things in our small little boring lives - in doing so they become miraculous.
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