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Life Happens In the In-Between
Why embracing the smaller, ordinary moments in your day can make you happier in work and life
One of my favorite childhood memories involved sneaking cheap snacks into the dollar cinema with my older brother. We had a whole routine down: this included one oversized coat filled to the brim with candy and store-bought cheese popcorn.
What made it so memorable? We weren’t doing anything remarkable like visiting a theme park or going on some other exciting adventure. It was just an ordinary moment between two kids bonding over Twizzlers (remember these?).
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that appreciating the little things, like this childhood memory, has become more difficult in a world fixated on achievement and meeting your next career milestone. You’re often encouraged to celebrate your big successes and then curate them for social media. Which means that these smaller, simpler moments in your day tend to go unnoticed.
In her inspiring Netflix special, The Call to Courage, acclaimed author and University of Houston professor Brené Brown, makes the case for the following:
Learning to love the ordinary
“Don’t be so busy chasing extraordinary that you miss ordinary,” Brown advises. “Taking a moment to commit to how we feel in ordinary moments can…
