11 July 2024 – 21 July 2024 • Two Weeks in New Zealand
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This week’s blog will look into the LITTLE things. I will discuss valuing my day-to-day choices, appreciating the things so easily taken for granted, and the why behind the emphasis on “LITTLE.”
Day-to-day choices
My intention is to share my perspective, not to present it as absolute truth. Determining how to allocate your energy each day can be assigned to two main categories. The first is that of your everyday needs. For example, eating, drinking, hygiene, ensuring personal safety, and a form of income to provide for those items. The second, and one that I hope to dissect further, is the remaining usage of your habitual energy and the significance in putting it towards the LITTLE things.
A thought that I have had for quite some time that has cemented itself over the past two weeks is the beauty in the LITTLE things. The majority of my everyday actions appear to be inconsequential. How could something so small, (i.e. holding the door for someone, the extra 20 minutes of sleep, asking more questions, expressing unprovoked gratitude, etc…) matter so much? The fact of the matter is that making the conscious decision to consistently make the more favorable LITTLE decision will have the biggest impact. These frequent “inconsequential” decisions are those that truly define us and establish our character.
Living alone and navigating entirely new routines, relationships, education, and basic well-being has better allowed me to see the cause-and-effect of the LITTLE things. The physical act of environment change has given me the opportunity to isolate every single choice I make and see the energy reciprocate itself. As basic as drinking water instead of sugary drinks, or as cliche as starting each day thinking about how I can get better. Even crazier is the earth shattering task of talking to somebody new! No matter the decision, it seems reasonable to conclude that there is usually one that is more favorable in some way, whether it be physical benefit, social fulfillment, or simply keeping your mental health in line. Not that living life should be treated as a game, but I have started to see the benefits of subconsciously calculating every decision with the intent of it yielding the more positive result.
The past two weeks I have come to learn the power of how energy operates in my life. It has shown me that everything matters. Committing yourself to doing the LITTLE things right is what will guide the way I am perceived and more importantly the way I perceive myself for the rest of my life.
Final Note
Another form of LITTLE energy that exists in everyday life does not come from the choices we make, but the content of each day that is so easily taken for granted. Taking the time to truly cherish the present has begun to shape where I receive larger areas of fulfillment. It’s the sunrises and sunsets. It’s the extra conversation you never expected to have. It’s the phone calls with loved ones. It’s the miracle that is life that comes with everyday, and it is those areas that, if stripped away from us in an instant, we would beg for their return. We wouldn’t beg for another two hours scrolling on our phones, but perhaps the ability to go on that hike. We wouldn’t beg to hide in our room and watch the television instead of chatting with your family. We wouldn’t choose to be sitting at home instead of in a random house in New Zealand.
How incredible is it to be existing in a space every day where I am surrounded by so many different cultures, perspectives, humors, such lust for life, and most importantly by people who seek to embrace this journey with me. It’s the LITTLE things.
DU Abroad 