How to Appreciate Life More and Find Joy in Every Day

When you think about your life, do you consider yourself a happy person? Can you live in the moment? Do you really value your life? If not, what should you change first?

Gratitude has the power to make a huge difference in your life. Focus on the good things and you will feel good. Notice the joys and you will feel joyful. Notice and rejoice in all that is good in your life and you will have something to be grateful for. Gratitude changes not only your thinking but also the whole state of being that begins to vibrate differently. When we are truly grateful for what we have and what we are, the brain releases neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin – well-known hormones that allow us to feel happy.

You can start the day by complaining about something that is wrong and talking about your problems – but how exactly does that change anything? If something is not as you want it and you know you have the power to influence it, take action towards change. Less talk, more work. If you do not have the power to change something (for example, you cannot change the weather today or end the Covid-19 pandemic), then you just need to accept it.

When we choose to be grateful, things in our lives begin to change – and it happens very quickly. Here is how you can appreciate life more and be grateful…

Give

When you give to others, you do not immediately realize how much of an impact it can have on both you and them. It does not matter if it is a gift, a nice word, or maybe the most valuable gift of all – your time. Selflessness is one of the things that can make you look at everything completely differently. Why? You are part of something bigger than yourself. It is living with meaning and purpose. When you give selflessly, you grow, evolve, and realize what is most important in life. In this way, you not only contribute to another person, to whom your time or attention can mean a lot, but you open yourself to the world, give your best, and create loving relationships both with other people and the world and with your inner being.

If you are wondering what to give – give love, understanding, and support. Give your time to a loved one. Invite her/him to ask how their day went. Give a sincere compliment to someone, be supportive of your loved ones in difficult times, offer help to someone who needs it, congratulate a success, smile at a person that passes by you… In that sense, everyone can provide something valuable to others. It does not mean that giving will solve your or anyone else’s problems, however, kindness in this world can do a lot. Do not do it for a reward. Do it because of the feeling you have when you give. That way, you will lead a life in which you will feel good.

When you give, let it be unconditional. Any giving that has intentions and expectations behind will, sooner or later, create conflict, dissatisfaction, or frustration in you. Many say they sacrifice and think they give. Sacrifice does not bring anything good. You may have heard someone saying “I sacrificed for you and did this and that, and you are giving it back to me like this.” Sacrifice comes from gain, powerlessness, and fear, while unconditional giving comes from pure love and complete freedom of choice. So, either give something unconditionally or do not give at all. Sacrifice is never heroic. Only giving is.

Be in the Present Moment

Find at least a few minutes in your day and sit with yourself, your feelings, your thoughts. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you. Be aware of your thoughts, feelings, sensations in the body. Then look around and pay attention to what surrounds you. Focus on the senses. Notice colors, shapes, sounds, smells. Try to understand how tiny you are compared to the vastness of the sea or the sky. Understand that you are part of one big puzzle that makes up this world – a small but necessary part without which the puzzle would not be as it is. Release everything that is false and transient and feel the beauty and power of living.

Meditation and spending time in nature are the best ways to get back to yourself and learn to enjoy the present moment. Often the flow and hustle and bustle of modern life lead us to neglect ourselves and what is really important. But only a few minutes every day are enough to remind us of important things. Do not deprive yourself of this time, it will mean a lot to you.

Also, read Why it is Hard to Stay Motivated

Love Yourself

You have probably heard and read this countless times, so much so that sometimes you think it is taken for granted. However, even though it seems so, we still often forget that self-love is the basis of everything. If we do not love ourselves the most in the world, we will not be happy. No, that does not mean we are selfish or love others less. Healthy self-love is the basis for the love of life and healthy relationships.

Unconditional self-love implies accepting our flaws, inner resistance, challenges, and old wounds. There is no point in just putting a smile on your face and pretending that everything is fine. Persons who love themselves are aware of their virtues, values, beauty, but also of their flaws, traumas, vulnerabilities. Persons who love themselves know who they are, accept themselves completely, while at the same time they work on getting rid of repressed emotions, resolving old patterns that torment them, replacing bad habits with good ones, changing their useless and limiting beliefs. Persons who love themselves are aware that this takes time and that nothing happens overnight. They support themselves in the process, dismiss the need to be perfect, and appreciate every step they take.

Appreciate yourself. Respect yourself, with all your flaws and virtues. Do not condition love for yourself with some achievement or achieved goal because then it is not (true) love. Love yourself even when you make mistakes because mistakes are there to teach and guide us. When you accept yourself as a whole, you will be happier than you ever imagined. Be patient with yourself and understand your worth. Another very important thing – do not compare yourself with others. No one can live your life except you. You have your own unique path, which only you can tread, so enjoy the journey.

Focus on the Good

You have probably heard this before. So, now you realize that you do not need a lot of new information but remembering what you already know and, above all, applying what you have learned. And how do we focus on the good when we are in a challenging life situation or when we experience a hard time? 

The easiest way to do this is to ask yourself the right questions, and here are a few examples:

• What has made me happy lately?
• What are those beautiful experiences that I had and that I enjoy remembering?
• What have I done well for myself or my loved ones lately?
• Who was kind to me or listened to me when I needed to?
• What do I like most about myself and what am I good at?
• What is it that I can do right away to feel better?

There may be periods in your life when you are overwhelmed by unpleasant emotions or it seems as if nothing is going as you imagined. Then is the right time to stop, take a deep breath, and try to answer some of these or similar questions. When we shift our focus from a problem or something that is bothering us and focus on the good, it will be much easier for us to come up with a solution from the good state in which we put ourselves. And even if we do not succeed in that, the problem will look much smaller.

Write Down What You Are Grateful For

Believe it or not, this is one of the most powerful tools that can help you find reasons to rejoice every day. No matter how bad the day was, there is always at least something to be thankful for. If you do not believe us, we will explain through an example.

You probably slept in a bed last night, which means you have a roof over your head and a safe and comfortable home. You ate today, so you have enough money to provide yourself with food and water. Maybe you are at work now, maybe you are at home, babysitting or preparing for an exam. These are all reasons to be grateful – for a job that brings you money, for home, family, or opportunities to get an education and progress. You are reading this article from your smartphone, tablet, computer, so you probably have your own device and Internet access, which already gives you huge opportunities. Congratulate and thank yourself for it.

Make a routine of writing down a few things you are grateful for every day. We often take some things for granted. Realize what these things are in your life and imagine for a moment what it would be like to lose them. This will probably encourage you to appreciate them more and start being grateful for them.

Take Five

Have you looked around lately and seen how good your life is? This does not mean that you have reached the peak and that you do not need to develop anymore but stop for a moment and appreciate everything you have and what you have achieved.

To continue to grow and progress, you need to know how far you have come. The easiest way to see this is a break, a short break to just enjoy and nothing else. Whether it is going on vacation, going out for coffee with friends, walking in nature, or betting at online casinos that offer amenities and can be found at topcasinoexpert.com/allbonuses/no-deposit-bonuses/, take the time to enjoy yourself. Maybe you are one of those people who think they are missing something if they stop to rest or you believe that you do not need rest if you are motivated to constantly progress. Wrong. You need to understand that rest is necessary if you want to stay healthy, motivated, and ready for the next challenges.

Get out of the house. Explore nature. Travel. Put down your phone and look up at the sky. Whether you are on a half-hour break or on vacation, give yourself the freedom to relax. Be sure that, with renewed energy, it will be much easier to continue the path to new victories.

Celebrate Your Victories

Speaking of victories – don’t think that they have to be only big things, such as business success, wedding, buying a flat or a car, and the like. Sometimes the victory is just to get out of bed and bravely step into a new day. Getting out of bed as soon as we hear the alarm, without putting it on snooze. It is also a victory. Victory is when you dedicate an hour to yourself in the morning, instead of scrolling through social networks the moment you open your eyes. Victory is whenever you react differently in a situation that has bothered you before, when you set boundaries and respect yourself, or when you decide to work on introducing a new healthy habit. These are all small victories that have great significance.

Remember what your life looked like a few years ago and what has changed. Consider what you have achieved and what you continue to do well. That says a lot about you. That means you are brave, persistent, and disciplined. With that perspective, you can do anything. Even if some of your plans did not materialize, you can be thankful that they redirected you to something new, different, that was necessary for your physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual development at the time. Praise yourself and reward yourself occasionally. You deserve it.

Conclusion

When you start appreciating yourself and everything you have every day, your life will undergo a transformation. You will be fulfilled, joyful, you will create deeper and more significant connections with the people who are important to you. This does not mean that you will be constantly happy and that you will not have difficult moments. That is why you are born, to go through various experiences, to learn and get to know yourself and the world through them. If you achieved perfect peace and happiness, there would be no more reason to live because that would mean that you have mastered all earthly lessons. So be grateful even in difficult moments, because they shape you the most. Say thank you to life itself.

You have got one life and what you do with it is up to you. Your life has value. Time is short, limited, so every moment is important. However, we know that it is not always easy to see what is in front of you. It is easier to complain, shut down, and be blind to the beauty this life offers. However, when you open up, you recognize that you are never alone. Feel that you, as you are, are unique and a unique part of the Universe. Life is a gift, start living it in accordance with that knowledge.