“Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things.”
– Frank A Clark

Little things are happening around us every day. Every moment, in fact, we are encountering little things. Yesterday, when I was walking into a shop, a woman smiled at me. I smiled back and thought to myself, “That was such a small thing but it made me happy to be acknowledged by a stranger.”

Often we dismiss the small stuff because we are caught up in the bigger picture. We’re working towards our goals that are afar off and forget to stop and “smell the roses” along the way.

Not every little thing is as positive as a happy face or a helping hand, though. Little negative things happen, too. Things go wrong some days. We can focus on them so heavily that they take over our lives.

Instead of letting frustration get the better of us, being able to see small positives will pull us through each of those negative days.

Wonderful things are all around us if we could but notice them.

It all depends on our outlook and attitude.

Do you let the small stuff put a sparkle into your day? Consider the following situations.

1. You’ve had a bad day

“As you start and end your day, say ‘thank you’ for every little thing in your life, and you will come to realize how blessed you truly are.”
– Unknown

So nothing went right for you today? You had to start one of your jobs three times before you got it right; a car splashed mud on your slacks when you were hurrying to work; your friend forgot it was the day to meet you for lunch – and so on.

These negative things can be blown out of all proportion causing you to label the day a failure.

How to make it sparkle:

If you focus on positive aspects of the day, your face will turn from a scowl to a smile. It’s not easy to see the positives because several happenings, one after the other, can really cloud any sunshine.

Maybe the job you started three times was very impressive when you eventually finished it. Be grateful and smile.

Maybe your mum/spouse had your favorite meal ready when you arrived home. That’s enough to warm anyone’s heart – and tummy.

Seeing the happiness that little things can bring will change your opinion of the day. It really wasn’t so bad after all, was it?

2. Big things are a priority now.

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things . . .  I play with leaves, I skip down the street and run against the wind.”
– Leo Buscaglia.

When you were a kid, your day was filled with little things that brought a smile to your face.

You ran outside in the rain; you looked with wonder at the first strawberry growing on your plant; you sat on your swing and laughed as the breeze blew through your hair.

Now, though, there’s no time for the playful things of life.

The big things have taken over.

You rush to the bus so that you get to work on time; cancel morning tea with your friend because an important meeting has suddenly been scheduled at that time – and so on and on.

How to make it sparkle:

One way to cope with the busyness of life while you make sure you put some small stuff back into the mix, is to follow the five/two and two/five rules.

On week days, schedule five jobs for the day that must be done, but schedule two things for yourself as well. One might be a 20 minute walk in a local park. Another might be enjoying an icecream cone like you did when you were a kid.

At the weekend the numbers reverse. Do five things for yourself – a family picnic, coffee with a friend – but schedule two jobs that must be done to keep your life afloat.

3. People are annoying you.

“You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow annoy you.”
– Robert Anton Wilson

Well, that’s part of life, eh? People annoy us, of course. Family, friends, ones we love, people in our work situation, all annoy us at times. Dealing with annoyances isn’t easy.

I find that instead of managing the day as things happen, I try to set the agenda or feeling for the day myself. That way I can better deal with whatever comes along.

How to make it sparkle:

I’ll tell someone I love them, smile when I pass other people in the street, compliment someone on their work or how they look, drop a coin into the busker’s hat, and generally be on the lookout for opportunities to pass happiness on.

This makes me happy inside, as well as the other person.

Of course, every day isn’t going to go along like this. There’ll still be difficulties to overcome and disappointments to handle. But we won’t come crashing down as far as we might have, had we not started the day off positively.

This small stuff is what keeps the world turning.

We don’t know what one small touch might lead to. So try to factor the small stuff into every day. You set the agenda and see the difference it makes, to you and others.

4. Small stuff that doesn’t sparkle.

“Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.”
– Georges Bernanos

One weekend we looked after two children while their mum flew interstate for a job interview. The 10-year-old asked me a question, when we were getting ready for a picnic. “Why do you worry so much about little things?” I was taken aback. When I thought about it, I found, to my surprise, that I do this a lot.

Little things annoy me, like: Where are the scissors? (I always put them back in their appropriate place, but other family members don’t.) Why is the ‘phone ringing just when I’m ready to leave for an appointment?

How to make it sparkle:

Instead of just accepting that these things happen, I was displaying annoyance.

I could see that these little things were coloring my day.

They were setting the tone for the day. I wasn’t in control at all.

From that moment on I have monitored my behavior to my own and others’ advantage.

These are only little things but the minute I accepted that things happen, and just worked around the issues without getting cranky, the day was happier.

In this scenario, attitude is key. And how easy it is to change our attitude! Rather than bothering about little annoying things, I could see beyond the trivial to the many good things about the day.

There are lots of happy things in every day if we just take time to look.

Really, are there any little things in this life?

I’m reminded of the words of Bruce Barton:

“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.”

From now, I’m going to look at small stuff in a different light.

It’s the small stuff that can reach inside ourselves and out to others, and change a day entirely.

When we stop concentrating on annoyances, minor problems, or the busyness of life, we are open to seeing little miracles all around us.

There are opportunities that we miss when our faces are looking down. I’m going to be open to seeing these opportunities and special moments from now on.

“The older I get, the more I’m conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn’t it?”
– Sandra Cisneros

Put a smile on your face and let the sun shine through you to others with whom you come in contact each day.

You don’t know when the little things you do will make a difference – somewhere. The world might be a better place because of the small stuff that you were responsible for, that grew and grew into bigger stuff.

What are the small things that mean a lot in your life? Leave a comment below.

Erral & Jenna

Erral and Jenna are passionate about helping people leave their ordinary, blah kind of life behind, and empowering them to live a satisfying and fulfilling life. They are founders of Success Jennarator. Find them also on Twitter @Jenna935. 

Credit: finerminds.com