Little Pleasures

There is a running “joke” in my family that highlights my ability to get super excited about the smallest of things, from mashed potatoes, to dark chocolate mint sticks, to reading a good book. My dad always jokes that it doesn’t take much to make me happy, and perhaps that is true. But that doesn’t mean that I desire any less.

Mindful indulgence is something that I talk about often, and it is the theme behind pretty much everything I write, say, teach, and do. I live my life by this principle because I have realized that self-care and paying attention to the present moment are probably the most powerful tools we can use to manifest our best life. But mindful indulgence in the way that I mean it does not associate with only one type of definition or experience. Rather, it encompasses anything and everything that contributes to our ultimate happiness and fulfillment.

Mindful indulgence can certainly entail experiencing the finer things in life but, just the same, it can simply involve making the “ordinary” extraordinary. It’s easy to find pleasure in the big accomplishments in life, but when we make the best and the most of the little details along the way, that’s when we really start having fun.

Of course luxury vacations, beautiful real estate, caviar, and fine dining make me feel excited, but so do fresh flowers,

organic teas, and a comfy made bed to sleep in. I love yachts and I love crystals. I love spas and I love Himalayan salt lamps. I love luxury travel and I love sitting around a table with loved ones breaking bread. To me excitement comes not only from the “what” but from my perception of it and how I choose to experience it in my life. And that’s what mindful indulgence is truly all about.

And so, it doesn’t matter what it is you are focused upon as long as it feels exciting and enjoyable to you. And you do not need to justify it to anyone else either. It is simply about expressing appreciation for everything that you have going right for you right now, and then seeking out the simple little pleasures in life instead of overlooking them on your way to something more.

Appreciation begets more to appreciate, so no matter how grand our goals may be, we must appreciate and enjoy the “little” amusements in life if we want to find the true fulfillment that we seek. Because if we are expecting the big stuff to make us happy, yet we are bitter along the way, we will not truly feel fulfilled when our goals are finally realized. That’s because happiness is an inside job, and when we find the pleasure in the little things, the bigger things will simply be the icing on the cake.

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