“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.”
~Iris Murdoch

Life is a series of moments. Of a “now.” And a “now.” And a “now.”

We can get so caught up in the future we’re aiming for – the project that needs to be completed, the presentation next week, the promotion we’re gunning for, the phone call we’re waiting for – that we can forget to live right now. And honestly, now is all we have.

We don’t know for certain that we’ll have a tomorrow. As scary as that is to admit, we don’t know. We can’t guarantee what will happen between now and then. We can’t even guarantee the then. So why do we live our lives as if waiting for then?

Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today? And why put off until tomorrow what you can enjoy today? When we feast on a series of continuous small treats, we have more to enjoy in our moments, and, I believe, we can, and do, have a happier life.

Recently I’ve been struggling with something. It’s out of my control, and I hate that. It’s my nature to seize the reins and make things happen, but the old behaviors aren’t working this time.

I’ve been sad and frustrated and, at times, feeling depressed. I’ve been seeing my glass half-empty, noticing what’s not working and what I don’t like. And I can continue like this for as long as I want, or I can find myself a series of continuous small treats. I can enjoy the sunshine on the first slight warm day. I can sip and savor a cup of tea. I can grant myself an extra walk around the block on the way back from a meeting, or a smile and laugh with a colleague before I hunker down to my next task.

I can find myself a continuous stream of small treats, and I can have a happy day.

How do you treat yourself?
Please leave a comment.

If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


For support in living a life of continuous small treats, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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