Celebrating the Goodness

How often during the day do we pause and celebrate the good moments? It is no surprise at all that too often in life; we let the good moments to pass. And by good moments, I do not mean significant life experience like getting married, getting a job, or having a child. By good moments, I mean simple moments in our day like seeing a clear sky, having a good conversation with an old friend, having a good meal, getting a compliment. There is no end to the amount of such simple yet pure moments that we let go of, without appreciating, or even acknowledging them. Maybe, we are too busy with the hustle-bustle of our lives that the good goes unnoticed. Unfortunately, our busy schedule is an excuse for this. Simply because, we remember the bad even despite these schedules. A criticism, a bad weather, a badly cooked meal, a fight with a friend stays for longer with us than the good times. We are so preoccupied with the bad. It is almost like we are obsessed with the bad and are constantly trying to get rid of it. What about the good? Why don’t we want to do something about it? We seem to take it for granted. We dismiss it like it doesn’t even matter or exist. Well, we all need to get rid of the bad, but it is equally important to attend to, appreciate and enhance the positive experiences. Let’s take some time out and cherish the goodness in your life. Reflect on it. Acknowledge it. Appreciate it. And I swear, savoring the good will give you the life’s greatest joy. Here a few ways you can celebrate the goodness in life so that it can stay with you for longer:

• Enjoy every moment-Increase the duration of experiences you usually enjoy. Lower down the pace. Enjoy every moment of your experience. If you are a foodie, take your own sweet time and enjoy every bite of your food. If you love nature, spend time in nature and enjoy every bit of it. Experience the moment through all your senses. Notice what you feel, what you see, what you hear, and what you smell while being in that moment.
•  Focus your attention-If you are experiencing a good moment, make sure you do not attend to another moment or task simultaneously. This will either divide your attention or distract you from the good moment. Have your focus maintained only on the good moments. Postpone the rest.
• Connect with others-Sharing positive experiences with your loved ones can be a great way to enhance and reinforce your positive emotions. Celebrate it with them. Have regular conversations with your loved ones about what is going well in your life.
•  Reflect on the good old times- Take out time in your day to reflect upon and remember the good old times you enjoyed. Like a summer vacation fun time in your childhood or a gathering with your friends and family, a date you went on or a good movie you watched. Every once in a while, we need to take a pause from our busy schedule and reflect on the good old days.
• Count your blessings- End your day with writing down the three good things that occurred during your day. We may not have time in the day to appreciate them, but do not let go of those moments. Give them some credit to bring a smile on your face when nothing seemed to be going fine. Counting on these good things can give you an opportunity to enjoy the same thing twice. Once while experiencing it and then byreflecting on it.

Celebrate the small moments. They can bring you joy, happiness, boost your self-esteem, get you going in tough times, make authentic connections with others, be more productive, and most importantly, it will help you focus on the positive attributes. For once, get obsessed with the good, the good is always there. It is just blocked by our view of the bad. Set aside the negative, clear your view in order to see the good. Attend to the good. Appreciate the positive. Enhance your positive experiences.