Mundane Moments of Life – Happiness is a state of being that many people strive for, but it can be difficult to define and achieve. Hirav Shah suggests that while happiness may be influenced by external factors, it ultimately depends on our internal state of mind and perspective. In this article, we’ll explore happiness and how to cultivate it in our daily lives.
Table of Contents
Understanding the Mundane
The term “mundane” refers to activities that are ordinary or commonplace. Mundane tasks often seem boring or unremarkable. For example, doing laundry, cleaning the house, or running errands are all considered mundane. Even a job that involves routine tasks can feel mundane.
While these activities might not be thrilling, they are a necessary part of life. Finding ways to make them enjoyable can help reduce feelings of boredom. Here are some ideas:
- Listen to music or podcasts while doing chores.
- Incorporate exercise into your routine tasks.
- Set small goals or challenges to make mundane tasks more engaging.
When we think about what we most anticipate, we often focus on significant events: graduations, new jobs, promotions. However, the key to true happiness lies in the joy found in everyday moments.
Joy vs. Happiness
Hirav Shah explains that happiness is a state of being. It can depend on our surroundings, but we can also find contentment within ourselves. Joy, on the other hand, is an emotion that can be felt in an instant. The joyful moments we collect each day contribute to our overall satisfaction, even if we don’t achieve our bigger dreams.
Shah reminds us, “It’s common to look forward to big events. However, focusing solely on these major attractions can cause us to overlook the smaller, yet equally important, parts of our daily lives.”
By appreciating the mundane, we can find joy in the small moments and cultivate a deeper sense of happiness.
Why Small Moments Matter: The Importance of Mundane Everyday Happiness
Turning your consideration toward these minutes and allowing yourself the opportunity to enjoy them permits you to give somewhat more pleasure to your regular day-to-day existence.”
Sleeping In on a Rainy Day
As the rain beats lightly against the window, you nestle your head deeper into your pillow. The sound is soothing, and your bed feels like a sanctuary. There is no place you would rather be.
Finding Money, You Didn’t Know You Had
You reach into your pocket and find a $20 bill from the last time you wore these jeans. You aren’t rich, but you are richer than you were a second earlier.
Making Brief Eye Contact with Someone of the Opposite Sex
You pass her on the street or in the subway. She glances up at you momentarily, making direct eye contact in a way that seems to communicate a subtle curiosity. For a split second, it makes you think… and then it’s gone.
Skinny Dipping
There is something mysteriously liberating about being naked in a body of water. You are naked, but it feels natural, a sense of unrefined freedom.
Receiving a Real Letter or Package
E-mail has become the primary source of written communication.
Most snail mail these days is junk mail. So when you check the mail and find a real letter or package from someone you know, excitement overtakes you as you tear into this rare gift.
Making the Yellow Light
It’s one of the most common simple pleasures, the act of beating the pack. As you blaze through the yellow light, you glance in your rearview to see all the cars behind you stopping at the red light. Yes! You made it!
Telling a Funny or Interesting, True Story
One of the most enticing roles you lead in life is that of the storyteller. You love to share stories, especially those that will captivate your audience with deep curiosity and humor. There are few things more satisfying than telling a true story that others enjoy listening to.
Seeing a Friend Stumble Over Himself
As you walk across the street with your friend, he fails to accurately address the curb on the other side. As a result, he trips and stumbles around momentarily before regaining his footing, then swiftly attempts to play it off as nothing happened. This can be a hilarious sight if the moment is right.
Hearing the Right Song at the Right Moment
It doesn’t matter what the setting is; hearing the right song for that moment is one of those simple pleasures in life that instantly lifts your spirits. You could be driving home from work, hanging out at a bar with friends, or jogging.
When the right song rattles your eardrums, the entire meaning of life seems crystal clear.
The First Sip of a Beverage When You’re Thirsty
You just finished mowing the lawn or taking a long jog. The only thing on your mind is an ice-cold glass of water. When you are really, really thirsty, that first sip of any liquid beverage is sheer bliss.
Saying the Same Thing Simultaneously
There is a moment of silence. Then all of a sudden, you and your friend blurt out the same exact set of words simultaneously. This rare occurrence is something to smile about.
The Pull-Through Parking Spot
You pull into a parking spot and are delighted to see the availability of the parking spot immediately in front of you. You pull through to the spot in front so that you can drive forward out of the parking spot when you return to the car. Why? Because driving backward is a pain in the butt.
Realizing You Have More Time to Sleep
Something abruptly awakens you, and you think it’s time to get up. Then you squint over at your alarm clock and realize you still have two more hours to sleep. A warm euphoric feeling shoots through your body as you glide gracefully back to your dreams.
Watching People
Sitting there on your bench, you can see people in every direction. Tall people, small people, thin and plump. Blond, brunette, and redhead alike. Each of them has a different stride and a unique expression.
As you drift from body to body, you are mesmerized by what you see.
Putting On Clothes Straight from the Dryer
As soon as the dryer buzzes, you pull out your clothes and put them on. They feel soothingly warm on your skin and emit a fresh-scented aroma into the air. A sentiment of ease comes over you as you head out to conquer the day.
A Familiar Smell
You just pulled into your parent’s driveway and opened the car door. You haven’t been home in a long while. You smell familiarity in the air, the scent of a large pine tree in the neighbor’s yard. As you head through the front door, more familiar smells consume your senses. Gosh, it feels good to be home.
The Feeling You Get When Your Idea Works
You have been struggling to resolve a complex problem all day, and you just can’t seem to get it right. Filled with frustration, you decide to exercise one last idea before calling it a night. You’ve had many ideas before that failed miserably, but this time it works.
Fresh, Clean Bed Sheets
You yank at the corner of the bedspread to create just enough space to slide your body under the freshly cleaned sheets. The sheets feel cool to the touch. Everything seems so clean like nobody has ever slept in this bed before.
A Beautiful View
A man watching sunset from an observation post
As the car veers around the side of the mountain, you gaze out the passenger window. It’s a clear, sunny day, and you can see the entire valley below filled with wildflowers and bright green vegetation. The scenery reminds you of something you once saw in National Geographic. But here it is, life, right before your eyes.
Reminiscing About Old Times with Your Closest Friends
Pink Floyd once said, “the memories of a man in his old age are the deeds of a man in his prime.” There is no simple pleasure more satisfying than recounting the greatest moments of your life with your closest friends who lived these moments alongside you.
Receiving an Unexpected Compliment
It’s been an average day. Nothing really great has happened, but nothing terrible occurred either.
This monotonous day has put you in a dreary mood. Then, unexpectedly, an older, attractive lady taps you on the shoulder, calls you “handsome,” and says she loves your shirt. The day just got a whole lot better.
Having a Good Laugh
Laughter is the greatest cure of all. Life is extraordinary in the moments when you are laughing so hard you can barely breathe. These moments of deep laughter are divine in the sense that they cleanse your mood and set your mind on a positive track.
The Feeling After a Healthy Workout
It’s a giddy feeling of self-accomplishment, the one true activity that actually makes you feel better and looks better simultaneously. When you walk out the front door of the gym, you are on top of the world.
The Celebration in the Instant Something Makes Sense
Even now that it has been explained to you for the third time, you just don’t understand how it works. Everyone else seems to understand but you. Then out of the blue, the dots connect in your mind. You finally get it, and it feels great!
Relaxing Outdoors on a Sunny Day
As you relax sprawled out in a lawn chair, the sun warms your skin, and a light breeze keeps the temperature comfortable. Birds are chirping merrily in the trees behind you. You are at complete peace with the environment.
Holding Hands with Someone, You Love
Every time she grabs your hand, you are overcome with an awareness of how much she means to you. Holding hands is sensual and physically intimate, yet subtle. There are few people you allow to hold your hand, so you can be sure that the moment is special when it happens.
Playing in the Water
Water marvels people of all ages.
From jumping in puddles as a child to doing cannonballs in the pool as an adolescent to enjoying a cocktail in the Jacuzzi as an adult… water is enjoyable.
Making Someone Smile
You notice that your colleague has been under a great deal of stress with meeting a deadline, so you take it upon yourself to complete one of her indirect responsibilities for her. As soon as she realizes what you did, she comes into your office with a big smile on her face. “Thank you,” she says. You just hit two birds with one stone because making her smile just made your day.
Finishing What You Started
How to use the power of imagination, simple by bringing end point by achieving anything then keep imagining again. You just finished up a big project you’ve been working on for the last few months, or maybe you just finished your first marathon… Either way, you finalized what you set out to accomplish. The feeling of self-accomplishment you get when you finish what you started is by far one of the most rewarding simple pleasures life has to offer.
Final Word
Hirav Shah concludes by saying, “Encouraging yourself to take pleasure in the mundane as well as the excitement can make your life richer.
Instead of moving from one rewarding goal to the next, look at life itself — and all the simple joys it has to offer — as the reward.”
