Finding Joy in the Little Things and Why It’s Your Decision

You scrolled past someone’s perfect life today, and afterwards, you felt bad about yourself.

That feeling doesn’t get to have the last word. Here’s why, and why finding joy in the little things isn’t luck. It’s your decision.

When Everyone Else’s Life Seems Better Than Yours

You know the feeling. The perfect kitchen. The perfect holiday. The perfect smile at seven in the morning. And every video suggests the same thing: Look - my life is better than yours.

You worry whether you’re doing everything right. You’re unhappy with every little mistake. And at some point you’re sitting in the middle of your own life, feeling alone in it.

And you know what? That person has worries too. They just don’t show them. Your life isn’t too small. You’re just looking at the wrong screen.

Joy Is a Decision - Especially When You Start Over

I’m the optimistic type. When others paint the world dark, I look for the light. Somehow, there’s always a way. And funnily enough, that light often finds its way into my paintings.

Was it always easy? Not really.

When my husband and I moved to Australia, I left my children behind. Grown up, yes. Ready to find their own way, that too. And even though my heart was suddenly on the other side of the world, leaving was my decision.

“Why?” you might ask. Pssst… I’ll tell you in one of my next blogs. ;)

A foreign country. No friends. New rules, new silence, new roads, where they drive on the left side of the road (which takes some getting used to 😉). There were evenings when I was lonely - really lonely. And still, I kept telling myself: We’ve got this. Me and my husband. We’re building a life here, the way we imagine it.

Where everything is new, it’s easier to decide against old habits.

How to Make Your New Place Feel Like Home

And now? At the start of this year, we moved again, within Australia. New town. Moving boxes. Empty rooms, still a little strange, waiting to become home. So I went looking for ways to make our place feel like home.

When I found furniture at Trend Indoor here in Far North Queensland that instantly felt like ours, it was a little piece of arriving. My art hangs right next to it now. And suddenly it wasn’t just a room anymore. It was becoming home.

 

Featured: Living room table from Trend indoor, "Bursting into Bloom" original artwork

Here’s what I know: I didn’t find lightness, Leichtigkeit, as we say in German. I chose it. Again and again. Even on days when it would have been easier not to.

Simple Ways to Bring Joy Into Your Life

Your joy doesn’t have to look like mine, or like anyone’s on your screen. But if it’s the little things for you too, some days, it doesn’t take much:

• Five quiet minutes in the morning. Coffee in hand.
• The sunrise, before anyone else is awake.
• The people you love - and a real conversation with them.
• The scent of your favourite scented candle
• A bracelet called “Joy” or “Happiness” that smiles back at you every time you look at your wrist.

Look around you. Find the bee in your favourite flower. Feel the sun falling through the curtains, tickling your nose. Whatever works for you. That’s the art of finding joy in the little things.

Featured:“Joy” and “Happiness” bracelet gifted by Kawai Jewellery, and "Rise and Shine" fine art print 

And no - it’s not about being happy all the time. Problems come. Again and again. But I believe solving them can make you happy too. Accept the ones you can live with. Solve the ones you don’t want. And feel the lightness afterwards.

And yes - it’s okay to be afraid. Do it anyway. I did… twice.

What Does Finding Joyful Art Mean?

Finding joyful art means finding artwork that makes you happy. Makes you think. Makes you feel something. And sometimes, before you’ve even finished your coffee, it makes you smile.

Careful! This is how you become an art collector. First a smile, and before you know it, you’ve got a whole wall of favourite moments.

I used to think I painted glowing colour. Until someone told me I paint home.

Artwork That Makes You Happy, and Feel at Home

Right in the middle of the move, a follower wrote to me:

“Your art makes me smile and feel at home.”

I was standing between moving boxes, and I had to smile. Because that’s exactly what my art is about. Not a wall. A home. The feeling of arriving, at yourself.

 

 

You can’t choose every box life hands you. But you get to decide what you unpack.

And my advice for the harder days:

You should always carry a little confetti in your pocket. And glitter. Or a swing. And a hammock. Or maybe a little bit of sea… a lot of sea works too. ;)

If this touched you, you belong in the Happy Art Fam. I save the best for them. Join and get a free mini print - on me. → Join the Happy Art Fam

Finding joy in the little things doesn’t wait for the perfect day. It waits for you.

More brands I like for women who choose themselves: 

• Rikki Lifestyle - midlife on your terms, in FNQ
• Scents Journey - hand-poured little joys