Touching Video Will Make Your First World Problems Seem Ridiculous
Joy is found in the little things.
PR Image Factory / Shutterstock The movie Human is described as a collection of stories about our world, offering an immersion into the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and happiness, as well as hatred and violence, Human makes us reflect on our own lives.
The director of Human, photographer, and writer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, says, "I'm one man among seven billion others. For the past 40 years, I have been photographing our planet and its human diversity, and I have the feeling that humanity isn't making any progress. We can't always manage to live together. Why is that? didn't look for an answer in statistics and analysis, but in man himself."
In a short clip from the movie, a woman shares what makes her happy. Although her answers are short (only a few words), they'll touch your heart in their simplicity.
The key to happiness is finding joy in small things: a glass of milk, shelter, and the smile of a loved one.
We all have so much, but much of the time we fail to see how lucky and fortunate we are in our abundance and focus instead on what we don't have. If we're mindful of what we experience as it happens, and if we take the time to enjoy it, we will be much happier.
For many of us, weight is a constant source of unhappiness and misery. We either curse ourselves for indulging in foods we love, or we deprive ourselves in order to meet the standards of beauty that society has set up.
We rarely appreciate the sweetness of a few berries or the way certain hot foods burn the roof of our mouths, as we're too busy bullying ourselves for our food decisions and loathing our bodies for their imperfections. Perhaps we need to look at ourselves from another perspective, the one that says we're all beautiful in our own way.
Appreciate what your body can do, even if you aren't as flexible as you once were. Be grateful for being alive.
Love is a direct path to happiness; yet, time and time again we complicate it. Be thankful for the love you have and for the love you're able to give.
The point of life isn't to get the most possessions or the biggest houses; it's finding joy in simple things like finding the sweater you thought was lost forever, or the look of happiness your child gets from their first pet.
Whether it's seeing the sun shine through the branches of a tree outside your living room, having your significant other give you a kiss when you first wake up, or the way your baby smells, these are the building blocks of true happiness. Denying yourself what you love or ignoring what you have won't bring you happiness, but the perfect cup of tea just might.
Christine Schoenwald is a writer, performer, and frequent contributor to YourTango. She's had articles featured in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Bustle, Medium, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and Woman's Day, among many others.