10 Things That Make Me Instantly Happy

Coffee, please!

Do you love writing lists? Do you feel in control and satisfied after filling up one as if you had worked hard? I do!

I love writing lists. Every time I start a new one, I get lost in my thoughts, make long lists, and never make them real. That’s why I try to keep them short and very well-focused. For example, every evening I write 3 to 5 things I am grateful for in my day and 3 successes I had in my day (that’s a difficult one to complete, actually). Even with these small numbers, I tend to add too much information.

Yet, there is a list I still have in my heart, which was inspired by the movie Amélie: the story starts with a voice describing the little things that Amélie, the main character, likes in her life.

Here is my personal list of simple things that make me happy. I will limit it to 10 points.

1. A meow by my cat in reply to my ‘ciao’
2. Sunshine: morning, evening, any time of the day
3. Fruit, especially watermelon, peaches, and kiwi
4. Hugs and kisses
5. A laugh with my sisters
6. A message from a girlfriend
7. Finding an empty spot at the car park
8. Being the first in line at the train ticket office
9. The smell of flowers
10. A cup of coffee: hot, long, no sugar. And another one, immediately after.

Think about your life: I am sure that there are a few simple things that make you like, even if they don’t make you happy. If you notice them and write them down, you will feel better and you will wait for that evening moment in which you hold your pen and your notebook. Then, you will tell yourself that your day was a good one.

Give value to the precious gifts you received, and enjoy them. Write them down!

I was inspired to write this list by the article by Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, thank you for always finding humor and joy in life.