What are your little delights in life? This may sound impractical, but identifying and cultivating them can have a profound impact on your life. Given the immense challenges of the last year or so, with routines and normalcy obliterated, I’ve come to realize the importance of paying attention to what I call in my coaching sessions ‘little delights.’ The things that, no matter what’s going on out there, can bring you back to a sense of personal joy and happiness.
A seemingly simple, meaningless little delight had the power to shift my energy, my outlook on life.
I had a personal revelation about this recently. One of my favorite personal ‘little delights’ is starting the day, slowly, with a big iced coffee in a cool-looking tumbler, usually propped up on pillows in my bed, with some music playing. Over the years, I’ve found this is just my thing: My creativity flows freely, for whatever writing projects — a new script or freelance writing project, personal aha’s or new ideas for my coaching practice. This is when I most easily get ‘out of the box’ and I have access to an overall feeling of abundance and well-being. Having been away from NYC for extended periods during Covid, I found that when I returned recently, I didn’t have my usual fancy tumbler. So I drank my iced coffee out of a plastic sippy cup, out of laziness, thinking it was not a big deal. Much more important stuff going on, right? Every morning for a few weeks. I felt less joyful and optimistic. Sure, that could just be my Twitter feed talking, but I realize now it was not just the toxic news out there. I had taken away one of my little delights, and it ended up reverberated throughout the rest of my day. My energy/mojo felt off. I’d look at the sappy cup with disdain but heard myself think, oh, what does it matter? It’s just coffee.
But that’s not true, not at all. Little delights matter. So I put ‘new coffee tumbler’ on my To Do list —which for me means it will actually get done — and got a brand new, delightful cup. Almost immediately, I felt more energetic and optimistic. A seemingly simple, meaningless little delight had the power to shift my energy, my outlook on life. Crazy, but for me, true.
So take a moment today and ask yourself what little delights have you lost touch with (because of Covid or any other reason)? Make a list of your top 5 things that just make you happy, regardless of what’s going on. Then, simply make sure you’re including those in your daily routine. Sprinkle them into your routine. Maybe you’ll be happier for a few minutes, or hours, or longer? isn’t that what it’s all about?
For more: Download my free eBook, or get in touch with me here. Be safe and well, and in the now.
Mitch Rustad 