Seize the Day

Well, we may occasionally experience a day like that. But for the most time there is always some thing that bugs us.

And that is normal. Life is a mixture of happy, neutral, and not-so-happy moments.

The magic is in what you concentrate on. What you concentrate on defines your mood.

I love the saying "Carpe Diem". Seize the day. 

To me it means that we should not just look forward, waiting for the happiness to come from the future.

Happiness is here, in the now.

It is in the little moments, you'll simply have to understand that good things are everywhere around you.

Seize the Day by Noticing the Good

The other day I did an exercise. That day I paid attention to everything I liked in my day.

I liked the sunshine, the birdsong, morning coffee. I liked the purr of a cat, my comfy jeans. I liked the roads that were in good condition. I liked the leaves of spring. 

I liked the chit chat with coworkers, I liked the food in our cafeteria. I liked my notebook, my fountain pen. I liked a funny post from a friend.

You get the idea. Keep telling yourself, in full sentences in your mind all the things you meet during your day that you like. Quite refreshing.

You could do this with your phone too. Take a pic of every thing that you like during the day. At the end of it, go through your photos, maybe write a page about these good things into a diary. If you use a computer, paste the pictures to your writing. 

I post my Little Moments on my Patreon page. 

I also write a little bit of a diary every day. I use my William Hannah notebook (I'm a diary / notebook freak and finally found one I can use for many years to come. Expensive, but I love it. If you wish the check the philosophy behind the notebook, I have interviewed its creator on my author website here)

I also keep my notebook open on my desk the whole day when I work with my computer and write down all the nice things I like that happen during the day. The act of writing these down seems to embed the positive attitude in my mind most effectively.

10 Good Things About This

Another thing I do to see the good in a day is the "10 good things".

Here's how it works: 

You take one thing. Anything. And then you tell yourself 10 good things about it. You really seize the day when you have to concentrate on the moment.

One day it was raining. People were not happy about it, it was dark and gloomy - and wet. Our climate here is not dry, which explains the attitude.

So I thought I'd try my 10 good things about rain. 

I came up with these: 

- I like the sound of rain

- After the rain the colors are so vivid and pure

- Our nature remains beautifully green because of rain

- You see pretty umbrellas all around when it rains

- Little children love rain and puddles - and watching them having fun with the water makes me happy.

- It's comfortable to have a desk-job when it is pouring outside

- It's fun to film the rain using the slow motion.

- It is easier to meditate when you can concentrate on the sound of rain.

- When it rains I appreciate the comfort of my home.

- The rain clouds can be really beautiful