- Take charge of your life and your days. Make room for joy. Focus on beginning and ending each day with a grateful heart, remembering all the good that is in your life.
2. Smile more. Be kind to yourself as well as others. Dream big dreams and keep taking little steps to make those dreams come true.
3. Keep a gratitude journal. Be thankful and write down at least three happy events per day that made your day better. You will be amazed! Contemplate the things that made you happy; create more space in your life for these moments of bliss.
4. Make room in your life for whatever you most enjoy doing. It might be gardening, painting, writing, reading, wood-working, or playing an instrument. Do these activities as much as possible.
5. Try something new. It does not matter what it is, and you do not have to be an expert at it. Just try doing a new thing, for the sheer fun of it.
7. Nature is healing. Spend time outdoors. Take a walk. Walk beside the ocean or deep into the woods. Inhale the fresh air. Rejoice in the changing of the seasons.
8. Reach out to friends and family. Remind these people how much you love them. Send a letter thanking them for all the joy they have brought into your life.
9. There are little miracles tucked inside each and every day. Look for these miracles. Embrace the beauty of the moment…it is fleeting!
10. Organize your space. Make life easier on yourself. List your goals. Take mini-steps to achieve your goals. Most of all, celebrate every step of the way.
11. Read about people who are positive thinkers. Positive people have much to teach us about life. Life is not easy for anyone; positivity makes the journey that much better.
12. Read the Bible and learn as much as you can. God’s Living Word inspires us day to day, and opens possibilities we could never see otherwise.
13. Share what you learn with others. The gift of our faith is our most precious jewel.
14. Meditate and pray. Remember who you are. There is only one of you in the world and there will never be another one like you. Share your gifts.
15. Most of all, thank God for His constant love and care. As it is written in scripture, Matthew 19:26: “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but, with God, all things are possible.”
The painting above of the Hibiscus flower was painted by my daughter in law, Elicia Raha. She began painting during the pandemic. This painting was a gift to me, but she now sells her paintings. I am so very proud of her! In these difficult times, she is creating beautiful works of art. This painting is a constant reminder of the choices we make each and every day. No matter what is going on around us, we can still appreciate the beauty of life itself. Each day, God gives us the gift of life to open, full of wonder, full of promise.
“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” – Lee Iacocca. I just read this quote on one of my favorite blogs, “Life is Full of Sweet Spots, An Exploration of Joy, with painter and poet, Mary O’Connor.” I just finished reading her wonderful book, of the same name as her blog! It was excellent! She surely highlights the joys to be found in these troubling days.
Dear Linda, thank you for this list of beauty and joy in the Lord and all His blessings! I felt my spirit lift just reading this list. These are things we know, but we need reminders day after day to fix our minds on Jesus and the many blessings He has provided for us. May you see His blessings all around you today!
Wishing you blessings as well, Melissa! Each morning of our lives we begin again. It is a brand new start. When we focus on the good, the not so good stuff is easier to handle. 🙂
All such tremendous tips, and true. It’s good to see them listed, written out. God’s grip – Alan
They are certainly not original ideas! We are reminded to do these things all the time; we do not always put them into practice! But you are right; it is good to have a list. As I was thinking about what to add, the most important things kept coming back to me. At the end of the day, it is not how many things we can check off the list. It is about choosing each day to make it the very best we can.
Love all these great tips! And your daughter in law is very talented. How wonderful to use this time to fill the world with beauty!
We need all the tips we can get! 🙂 The only time we have is the present. The hours get filled one way or another; whatever we can do to make those hours better is worth it.
Excellent advice! I do try to focus on the positive, and live our lives as normally as we can in a safe way. And what helps me the most is faith, knowing that God has brought his people through tough times before, and he will do it again. And again. All we have to do is remember whose we are, and who is ultimately in charge. That is what makes me let go of my anxiety and worries…..
You are so right Ann! God is in charge. We must place our trust in Him at all times.
I find that #7 never fails me. Your daughter-in-law’s painting is exquisite!
It is true! Nature does soothe the soul! I am so happy that my daughter in law is creating beautiful works of art; I am also thrilled that she is so happy doing it! Thank you on her behalf! 🙂
Such wonderful, vibrant advice! Truly a life-giving post. And I am extremely impressed that Elicia could immediately paint so beautifully! What a tremendous blessing to have discovered a new gift on the inside of her 🙂 <3
I love the way you phrased that…she discovered a new gift inside of her. I think sometimes that people are afraid to try a new thing because they think it has to be perfect. There is so much joy in dabbling in many endeavors; you do not have to be an expert. Life is too short for perfection. And oddly, some of the most imperfect things seem to be works of art. Even in nature, our eyes are drawn not only to the most beautiful, but to the unique leaf slightly bent and different from the rest, a flower pressed down in the morning rain. We must train our hearts and our eyes to see in new ways. And it is not what others see; it is what we teach ourselves to see that counts.
Linda, wow, seems like you have REALLY wise blog content in the thoughts you just expressed there! Seriously, that’s just so good. I was thinking about something similar this week. I have, during the quarantine, discovered a new and very significant enjoyment of coloring in adult coloring books with Scriptures in them. Coloring is obviously pretty easy not requiring much skill, but once in a while I go across a line that I didn’t mean to. And I was thinking about how those “imperfections” are part of the beauty of art, part of the expression of the individual soul made in God’s image 🙂
You are so very right about the imperfections! My favorite gardens are cottage style…nothing formal. Every now and then, something unusual shows up. Something blooms where it was not supposed to. These are the most delightful moments for a gardener. When children are little and dabble in art, we celebrate every attempt. If only we could cultivate that same enthusiasm in adults. Think of the joy people miss when they have to be perfect at something. For the most part, they do not even make the attempt. We must remember our kindergarten selves and take out the finger paints!
Yes! Cottage style gardens are so lovely! Smiling joyfully about the finger paints thought. Oh to grow up more and more into childlikeness as He has summoned us to do!
Yes! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I love this post. I do quite a lot of these. I’ve been okay throughout this year but over the last week or so, the pandemic blues have been getting to me a bit. I’m bored of being at home and not having the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. And I’m sick of the constant doom and gloom of the news and the worry of having another lockdown. It really is important to focus on the little things!
Your blog is really a bright spot for me. You radiate so much enthusiasm and you cover so many topics! I learn so much from you. The news is depressing! We cannot escape all the hardships of the current times. However, we can keep trying to bring our very best to each situation we encounter. My faith in God helps me a lot in these troubling days. I do believe the little things count; at the end of the day, we must count all the happy little things that made a difference. 🙂
Oh my goodness thank you Linda, that’s literally made my day 💛
I am so glad! You brighten many of my days with your posts! 🙂