It is very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine of modern life. So much so that we tend to forget that happiness need not come with stipulations.
Somehow happiness has become something to schedule in the diary and to strive for--a hard-won emotion--and then we believe we can only be happy when we have no worries or concerns that are occupying our thoughts.
In reality, happiness is not the exclusive right of those people who appear to have unlimited time and don't seem to have any troubles to speak of. Some of the happiest people on the planet are often those coping with the most serious challenges.
These happy people have learned to make time for the simple yet superb pleasures that they can enjoy quickly and easily. I believe that cultivating a happy heart takes no more than five minutes. The resultant delight is neither complex nor complicated, but is most definitely profound. In every day life there is always a reason to smile. It could be a cute puppy, or a giggling baby. Maybe a memory flits through our brains or something as simple as a long, hot bath.
There are a lot of things that bring pleasure, and a smile to the face, that can be achieved in five minutes. If we are on our own, we can enjoy an aromatic cup of our favourite tea, take a stroll through the garden we have created, write in a journal, doodle while daydreaming, or breathe deeply while we listen to the silence around us and just be.
In the company of friends, we can laugh at certain childhood memories, enjoy a dance around the room, play a fast-paced hand of cards, or just enjoy each other's company and conversation.
But, do you know what it is that makes you happy? If not, how will you know if you are happy? Can you remember a time when you were happy? What was it that made you happy? Were there any other times? What made you happy on those occasions?
If we only ever do what we believe, or have been conditioned to believe, should bring us happiness, those five minutes will not be very much use to us. However, when we allow ourselves the total freedom to do whatever it is that brings us pleasure, five minutes out of your average day will certainly brighten our lives tremendously and bring on the smiles.
Strangely, we find that it is often when we have the least free time or energy to devote to happiness that we feel the need to unwind and enjoy ourselves the most. Making happiness a priority will help you find five minutes every day to enjoy the things that inspire happiness within you. Eventually, your happiness breaks will become an established part of your routine.
Begin by doing activities you already enjoy and then, over time, think up new and different ways to fill your daily five minutes of happiness. Then you will never be without something to smile about.