“I have a feeling that we are in such a hurry that we do not even have time to look at one another and smile.” — Mother Teresa

“You can be the most beautiful person in the world and everybody sees light and rainbows when they look at you, but if you yourself don’t know it, all of that doesn’t even matter. Every second that you spend on doubting your worth, every moment that you use to criticize yourself; is a second of your life wasted, is a moment of your life thrown away. It’s not like you have forever, so don’t waste any of your seconds, don’t throw even one of your moments away.” ― C. JoyBell C.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
― Helen Keller, The Open Door

“Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.”

Wendy Wasserstein

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. — Eddie Cantor

“Today, just take time to smell the roses, enjoy those little things about your life, your family, spouse, friends, job. Forget about the thorns -the pains and problems they cause you – and enjoy life”
― Bernard Kelvin Clive, Your Dreams Will Not Die

Tell me, when was the last time you stopped, looked around, smiled, and thought: “Hey, I’m really enjoying my life”?

Most of us busy, working, studying, children-growing or freelancing women are so overworked today that this question can feel sweeping off your feet.

We’re ridden with stress, anxiety, ticking deadlines, social media, and constant pressure to be perfect.

I know that I’ve asked myself this question many times before. So, I’ve come up with a list of 10 useful ways that anyone can simply slow down, enjoy their lives, and learn to take pleasure in the simple things that matter when everything else is stripped away.

Talk To Yourself As Nicely As You Would Talk To A Friend

We use language and phrases about ourselves that would be completely unacceptable for us to say to anyone else. Make a rule, starting today that you will talk to and about yourself the same way you would talk to and about your dearest friend. Doing this is one of the most important key ways to be happy every day. 

Decide To Go Through Your Life With A Smile.

If you want to enjoy life as it is, learn to go through it with a smile, not a frown. If you’re not used to it, it might feel weird to smile through bad days, but there are a lot of people who have learned it and they simply thrive!

Practice Gratitude

It’s impossible to feel both grateful and unhappy at the same time. It’s that simple. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.

No wonder many scientific studies have found that being grateful can improve self-esteem, reduce negative emotions like envy, and reduce the risk of major depression. Grateful people also tend to take better care of their health, exercise more, sleep better, and have lower levels of stress hormones.

So, if you want to learn how to enjoy life, start practicing gratitude.

For example, you could start a gratitude journal or simply begin each day by writing down three things you’re thankful for, such as, “Today, I am grateful for this nice cup of coffee in my hands, the book I’m reading that’s teaching me so much, and my adorable cat.”

Be Kind to Yourself

We all make mistakes and miss the mark sometimes. Be kind to yourself in these moments. Whatever has happened has happened. There’s nothing you can do about the past except to learn from it. This could be incredibly tough in the beginning, but it gets easier with practice.

Look deeply, and you will discover that you deserve to be happy regardless of who you are, what you’ve done, or where you’re going. You deserve to be happy just because you’re alive.

Give yourself permission to be happy and at peace in this moment.

Give Back

One of my favorite things to do is volunteer in my community and believe it or not, the reasoning for it can be seen as mildly selfish although the act itself is fairly selfless. When I give back, I feel good about myself and the work that I am doing to try to make another person’s life a bit better. This is the same way any other person would feel knowing they are an integral part of making someone else’s day, situation, life, etc. a more enjoyable place to be.

Be Present

Life is pretty great, most of the time! The problems arise when we think too much and start comparing ourselves and our lives to others and theirs.

It can be hard to focus on what we have in our lives when we’re bombarded with edited images of people ‘living their best lives.’

Social media can encourage feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. We live in a world of filtered photos and unrealistic expectations, which can make it very hard to live in the moment and see things for what they really are.

If you want to enjoy your life more, and in new ways, it’s worth considering how often you just let yourself relax into the moment and appreciate what’s really happening.

We’re not suggesting that you completely give up on social media, but try to change your perspective a little bit to enjoy what’s actually in front of you.

Stop entertaining other complaints

Your Best Friend might call you to complain about certain things. As a good friend, you may feel like it’s your duty to agree or get all worked up too.

Instead of entertaining their complaints or making the situation worse, just listen or try to say something positive.

“WHEN YOU COMPLAIN, YOU MAKE YOURSELF A VICTIM. LEAVE THE SITUATION, CHANGE THE SITUATION, OR ACCEPT IT. ALL ELSE IS MADNESS.” –ECKHART TOLLE

Learn to adapt

Some unforeseen circumstances cannot be avoided. Try to be more flexible and make the most out of a negative situation.

If it’s too hot, go for a swim and treat yourself to an ice-cream. If your flight is delayed, grab a book or get in touch with a loved one. You can control how you react!

Do NOT be envious of other people’s lives

Don’t look at the person next to you and envy their possessions, their looks, their wealth or anything else about them.  Worrying about whether your work colleague might make a few dollars more than you is a sure fire way to become disappointed!  Focus on your life, what can you do better, how can you improve, how can you get where you want to go!

Don’t be a Victim

Bad stuff happens to good people … that is a fact.  It is how you react to the bad stuff that defines you.  It is OK to feel sorry for yourself, to bemoan your fate, to get mad … for a short time.  Then you have to get back to living your life, perhaps working to make the world a better place?

Life has a lot of simple things you can enjoy. But if you move too fast you will overlook most of them. So don’t be in a hurry. Don’t move too quick. Slow down and pay attention to the world around you.