How to Have Fun and Enjoy the Small Things.

     Let's take a look at my life a fews years back.  Most of my down time and fun was spent on video games.  I would come home from school and the first thing I would think to do was to play some Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto.  Even at school I would think of how much fun I'm going to have when I get home and turn on my Xbox.  I even remember when my parents and I would go up north for the weekend to see my grandparents, having trouble having fun without the games there.
     Jump ahead a few years and its almost the exact opposite.  I could care less to play games and would much rather be up north with my family enjoying the outdoors and fresh air, or playing board games with everyone.  I've come to be able to enjoy the little things in life more and more especially recently.  I will sometimes even just stop and stare at the sky for a minute or 2 if it really catches my eye!  Theres so much beauty all arounds us that I was never able to realize when I would only be focusing on that game I wanted to play as soon as I got home.
How to start noticing the beauty that you never noticed in everyday life right now.
     How many times do we overlook good things because we are stuck in our head about the one bad thing?  We all do it and most of the time the things we worry and stress about won't even matter a week from now, but we often let that one thought control our day.  From my experience it can affect my focus drastically and may even overlook the things those around us do to cheer us up, or just good things they do in general, and I find when I get caught in my head over something I can become angry very fast.  There are some things that can help that I do if I tend to catch myself getting in a pattern throughout my day.
     If I find myself and notice that I'm getting in an angry mood or even if my chest just feels tense, the first thing I always do is always take a deep breath and smile.  This might sound stupid at first, and you may be asking "how can this fix what I'm worried about?"  But this is the first step in being in a happier mood, not just for the next few minutes or today but will help everyday.  I do this because I've learned from what Tony Robbins says about changing your state.  If you have never heard of him defiantly check him out!  But he talks about how changing your physical state can change your mental state as well, just by simple practices as I just stated.  Also don't forget to check your posture.
     Another way I have found useful to notice the beauty around you is to look up at the sky or take a look outside at something as simple as a tree.  Admire everything you can find about the tree, how big or small it is, the color of the leaves, and even what you can't see, the roots.  Instead of a tree I can usually look at cars or nice places to take my mind in a positive direction.  For cars especially I will notice the smallest details I find stunning and focus in on that.
 My favorite above all though, is to look at the sky on a beautiful day, or seeing the sunset through the clouds on cloudy days.  For me it almost instantly calms me, my breathing becomes deeper, and at that point many of my worries will disappear or just seem silly that I would even worry about things so little.
Closing thoughts
     Finding beauty in the world can be hard in times of worry, but it is attainable and is easier than we often make it to be as long as you find what will help you.  This will make having fun a lot easier even just by taking a walk outside, I can find enjoyable and relaxing, and its free!  We all seems to help others have fun as well if we are in a good state and having fun ourselves.  Remember to take a deep breath.  As always,

Go out, live life to the fullest,

Brian