We've all seen a 5 year-old wander through life in amazement at some point in our lives. It's a curious thing. Every little experience - every tasty dessert, every action, every sighting of an animal or what have you is insanely exciting to the youngster.
Some of us have watched a 5 year-old like this and have wished that we could rejoice in the little things. Some of us have wondered how we too can enjoy such simple pleasures.
Maybe you haven't even wondered about how to enjoy these simple pleasures but maybe you've been feeling down about life. Maybe you've been feeling like there should be more.
I know I've felt this way. I feel this way from time-to-time and I didn't always know how to deal with it. It's an odd feeling - it's a feeling almost like depression.
It's a feeling of doom and gloom - where the outlook of life just seems uninteresting and dry. Where there isn't much to do and it feels like you're just going through the motions.
How can we provide a solution to ourselves? What's the antidote?
How to Stop Feeling Down and Start Feeling the Rich Experiences of Life
Something that I learned recently solved these feelings for me. It's a sort of antidote to the feeling of being down in life.
We all feel down from time to time and it's important that you know that you're not alone in these feelings. These feelings are normal and everyone experiences them at some point. What you do about them determines your overall mindset and actions in life.
Recently, I rediscovered myself in stories about travel. I revelled in the idea that you can just go anywhere and do anything and have no set agenda.
I got absorbed into youtube travel videos, instagram travel accounts and the whole idea of traveling around the world with no set agenda, no set plan. Just a backpack and an open mind.
Then I decided to take the leap. I took the leap and I traveled to a part of the world that I had always wanted to go to. Something that I always wanted to experience.
Yes, I experienced the normal touristy attractions, but I also experienced a whole new outlook on life.
I found myself in this adventure. I found myself in a slowed down pace of reality. I found myself in the simple things of life.
Rather than hustling and bustling my way from 1 attraction to the next (as most travelers and tourists make the mistake of doing), I took my time in a place and I soaked in all the experiences that it had to offer.
Simple things like coffee, food, sounds and smells filled my senses and made me realize that you can tap into that 5 year old mindset whenever you want.
You ALWAYS have the ability to look at the world with a fresh set of eyes and be amazed by the simplest of pleasures.
You ALWAYS have the ability to be happy, no matter what circumstances surround you. Just remind yourself that you are but a drop in this ocean and all the problems are nothing compared to all the fresh experiences that await you. Open your mind and open your senses to the simple pleasures of life and you will be so much happier!
What's one place that you've always wanted to travel to?