Somewhere along the way, we started thinking life only counts when something big happens.
We wait for the moments that feel important enough to celebrate, while overlooking the small things happening right in front of us.
But life is mostly made up of small moments.
It is getting through a difficult week. Receiving a message that makes you smile. Finally paying off that bill. Getting a little closer to a goal. Having a good conversation with someone you love. Coming home tired but grateful.
Even getting out of bed on a Monday morning deserves a little credit. Some Mondays require a full motivational speech just to get from the bed to the shower.
We often don’t realise how much we have to be grateful for because we get so used to what we once prayed for.
Think about it.
There was probably a time when you prayed for the job you have today. You prayed for your own place, your independence, your family, your car, your opportunities or simply a little peace.
And now that you have some of those things, they have become normal.
That is one of the strange things about life. We can spend years asking God for something, and once we receive it, we quickly start looking for the next thing.
You finally get the job and complain about the meetings. You pray for a holiday and then spend the whole holiday worrying about the emails waiting for you when you get back. You pray for money and then discover that money apparently has a very short lifespan.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having goals. We should want to grow. We should want better for ourselves and our families. But we should also be able to stop and say, ‘You know what? I’m actually doing okay’.
Sometimes, we need to appreciate the blessing before asking for the next one.
And please, don’t make the mistake of comparing your life to someone else’s.
Social media has made this incredibly difficult. You open Instagram or TikTok and suddenly everyone seems to be travelling, getting married, buying houses, getting promotions, starting businesses and living their best lives.
Meanwhile, you’re sitting on your bed wondering why you haven’t figured everything out yet.
But remember, you are seeing their highlights, not their whole life.
Don’t let influencers fool you into thinking everyone else has life completely figured out. That perfect holiday may have been paid for on credit. That beautiful house may come with a huge bond. That ‘perfect’ relationship may have problems you know nothing about.
And let’s be honest, some people have taken 50 pictures just to post one.
You see the caption saying “Life is beautiful”, but you don’t see the 20 minutes of arguing about who took the picture.
So, celebrate other people’s wins without making their wins a measurement of your own life.
Your friend getting married doesn’t mean you’re behind.
Someone getting promoted doesn’t mean you’re unsuccessful.
Someone buying a house doesn’t mean you’re failing.
Someone travelling the world doesn’t mean you’re not living.
Their blessing is theirs. Yours is yours.
There is also nothing wrong with being happy for someone else while still waiting for your own breakthrough.
Sometimes, we are so focused on what we don’t have that we miss what is already in our hands.
Maybe your small win today is simply having enough money to get through the month.
Maybe it is finishing something you’ve been putting off.
Maybe you finally had the courage to walk away from something that wasn’t good for you.
Maybe you are learning to say no.
Maybe you are becoming more confident.
Maybe you are simply happier than you were a year ago.
Those things matter.
As Robert Brault said: “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.”
I think we sometimes take life far too seriously.
We are always planning the next thing, worrying about the future, and thinking about what everyone else is doing. We forget to actually enjoy where we are. So, celebrate the small wins.
Buy yourself the coffee. Wear the nice outfit. Take the picture. Go out for dinner. Call your friend. Laugh loudly. Be proud of yourself.
Thank God for the things you once asked Him for.
And when something good happens, don’t immediately think “okay, what’s next?”.
Sometimes just say “thank you, this is good”.
You don’t need a five-year plan to enjoy a Tuesday afternoon. Sometimes the plan can simply be to survive the day, eat something nice and don’t send that angry email.
Life doesn’t have to be perfect for you to enjoy it.
You don’t have to have everything figured out.
You don’t have to be where someone else is.
You just have to be present enough to notice the good things when they happen.
Because one day, you may look back at this season of your life and realise that you were actually living through some of the days you had once prayed for.
So don’t rush through them.
Celebrate the little wins. Appreciate what you have. Stop comparing. And live your life while you are living it.
The big moments will come.
But don’t miss the little ones waiting for them.
– Charmaine Tjizumaue writes on social issues.
