Louise Thompson: How to be happy right now

Find the joy in today and stop 'saving the best' for tomorrow. Photo / Thinkstock

My Gran had a whole cabinet full of china that she kept "for best". Now, as all her things are being sold and given away after her passing (at the ripe old age of 103), it occurs to me that I don't think I ever once ate from those plates. Not once. Which is a full-on shame. Saving stuff "for best" is something we all do. But I wonder if it's a useful strategy any more?

Today is actually all we really have. The only place joy exists is in the present moment.

Are you really maxing out the joy available today? When we live for "when business is better" or "when the kids are older" or "when the mortgage is paid off" we defer our happiness. We throw our energy forwards. We are not living our maximum potential happiness in the here and now.

This is not to say, don't plan. Of course, plan for future milestones and put all manner of cunning schemes into place but don't take your eye off the ball in the now. Happiness can slip right through your fingers today if you put too much energy on planning for tomorrow.

How can you live for the max now? You can wear that pretty dress. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is a special occasion. Put it on, with the heels! Light the sumptuous Ecoya candle, right now, for you.

Say sod the washing up, let's go walk on the beach. Make the difficult call. Say what you need.

Lighten that conversation. Bring grace to an everyday exchange with the barista or receptionist.

Cut the fresh herbs. Book the show. Make the detour.

Have the random conversation with a stranger that you don't have time for. Buy yourself the bunch of fresh flowers just because. Tell them you love them. Use the best crockery.

This is living with an abundant mindset:
• More than enough time.
• More than enough energy.
• More than enough love.
• More than enough money.
• We live in abundant times.

Granny's generation lived in genuine scarcity and their habit of saving for best
safeguarded against real loss and shortage. We live in an age of incomparable abundance.

We get to make a new rule. Stop saving stuff "for best". The best is now. Right now.

All we have is today. Maxing out today is important. You do not know what tomorrow will bring. Don't take your eye off the ball of today by always focusing on tomorrow. We must take the opportunity to scatter as many moments of random joy into each day as we can.

Live abundant today. Do something frivolous. Something "for best". Right now.

Book for Louise's Food for thought seminars at louisethompson.com