Back in December of 2015, I wrote this post about the little indulgences in my life that bring about a large amount of happiness.   The original idea of this came from Gretchen Rubin’s podcast “Happier,” where she discussed the idea that there are modest splurges that are on the small side that bring a large amount of joy.  This could be something you purchase, or an activity that you don’t usually take the time to do that doesn’t cost anything.  Some examples include rereading a favorite childhood book, calling your best friend to catch up, or getting a fancy new calendar for the upcoming new year.

While I explored this concept almost a year ago, it’s amazing how much has changed since that time.  New jobs, new homes, new marriage… these don’t even include the relatively small changes that have taken place.

Since I’m still in the process of setting my 12 month vision (no one ever talks about how difficult it is), I’ve decided that now is the right time to re-explore this topic.  What are/can be those tiny indulgences that I can bring into my life that can make me happier than I was before?  (Note, the ones I shared in the past do, absolutely, still remain, too.)

Little Indulgences = Big Happiness

Wedding Crafts

We got married over six months ago, but our dining table is still packed with some of our wedding day materials.  Dried flowers, pictures galore, magazines, and our card box/guest book signs still remain.  Being a person that is usually fairly quick to put things away in their rightful place and clean up after a party, this is relatively strange for me.

But I’ve realized it’s because I love to sporadically do crafts that remind me of our wedding day.  Even just this past weekend, I put together a potpourri from some of the dried flowers that we have on our table.

It’s a relatively silly thing, and it does cause a bit more clutter in our home, but it instantly takes me back to that lovely day in July when so many of my loved ones were in one place having the time of their lives.  (Next up to create, in case you’re curious, two picture frames!)

Cleaning Out Clothing

Last time I wrote this post, I had just started reading Marie Kondo’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  Looking back on it now, while I LOVED the book and have definitely employed some of her concepts, I haven’t even thought of doing the completely binge of “clutter” in our household as she suggests.

Instead, I’ve become a huge fan of cleaning out clothing on a regular basis in more of a piecemeal way.  For example, this weekend, I’m sending in five pieces to ThredUp (Has anyone tried it before?  It’s my first time.), I’m selling one piece on ebay, and I have two items ready to donate that I’ll drop off on my way past Goodwill.

I adore Kondo’s idea that pieces sitting in your closet deserve to be worn and loved.  And if I’m not wearing them, then someone else should have the chance to love them instead.  While it’s not a full on binge, cleaning out clothing in my piecemeal way is definitely something that has been begun to make me extremely happy by thinking about someone loving an item that I once adored.

Decorating Our Home for the Holidays

If I’m ever feeling in a funk, I start to decorate for an upcoming.  Any holiday will do.  Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, National Margarita Day.  The world is covered in holidays and I’ll celebrate each one.

But I don’t just decorate, I get into a whole themed event.  For Christmas, I’ll dress in a Christmas onesie, play Christmas jams, and decorate as if my life depended on it.  For Valentine’s Day, I’ll dress in all pink and red and play some silly romantic comedy in the background.  I rarely spend a cent on new decorations, but I just love the whole process.

On the contrary, however, taking down decorations also makes me extremely sad.  But I guess you sometimes have to take the bad with the good, right?

Slow Mornings

My morning routines still tend to be fairly structured.  I’m okay sitting around for a bit, but it needs to be scheduled (according to me and my type-A leaning self.)  While I used to love early morning workouts, I’ve now found that I’m much happier when I allow myself slower mornings.

If possible, I like to take a little time to read my Bible or a heartwarming book and 10-15 minutes to meditate before I really jump into the day.  It’s not always possible, but when I take that extra 30-45 minutes, I see a complete change in my attitude and confidence level.  According to several studies I’ve seen, I’m helping my brain with both of these activities.  And, while I haven’t fact checked that, I do know that I see a complete adjustment in the trajectory of my day just by that simple change of pace.

Working with Positively Confident Women

I haven’t spoken about this offering recently, because it’s currently closed during the beta test, but I have LOVED every moment of working with the women in my Positively Confident group.  This group is made up of women that are determined to be their most confident selves, they’re empowered to take the next step and attain their best lives full of passion and love.

Every morning, it has been a pleasure to work with this fantastic group of females.  If you want to learn more about this program, you can click here.  I also offer a 30 minute free course that will set you on the path towards your most confident self.  You can learn more about that course here.  (Those that subscribe to my weekly newsletter/love letter will be kept in the loop, too!)  Both the course and the workshop will be available again starting late February or early March.

I walk out of this program every day energized by the hard work and true power behind each individual’s words.  None of us are perfect; we shouldn’t try to be either.  But we should work to grow into our best lives.  And I know now that this workshop is on the path to be more engaging and deeper than any of its kind.  I’m incredibly enthusiastic about what’s to come.

What are the simple things in your life that lead you to big happiness?  How can you create more of those in your life on a regular basis?

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter where I share exclusive recipes, posts, and life hacks to help you attain your best life!

Create a great life!