Life is made of small moments. Throughout high school, even if one wins a state tennis championship and was elected homecoming king, he probably won't look back fondly if he dreaded school everyday because he hated his teachers and people said mean things to him all day. Similarly, if in high school, one gets cut from the lacrosse team her senior year, she fails at everything she ever auditions for, and her best friend dies, she probably will look back fondly if she found ways to enjoy her classes and made her interactions with her peers positive. In short, big events don't have to have a huge effect on our lives in the long run. Small, everyday things are what set the tone.
So here's the tip: Learn to find joy and purpose in the little things that you do all the time.
When I was growing up, doing dishes was a huge struggle for me. We all had our dinner jobs, and once a week I had to do the dishes. Week after week it was a struggle to get me to do them. I hated how the water made my arms itch. I hated opening the old leftovers that had been cleaned out of the fridge earlier in the day. I hated getting splashed by filthy water. I absolutely dreaded my turn to do the dishes. I'm in college now, so it seems like doing dishes is a significant source of frustration to many of my peers: many a status update has dealt with such frustrations, so here are the solutions that I have adopted for this particular lifelong monotony.
Make it a game. Everybody likes games, right?
For me it was always a game to see who could get the dishes done first. Of course, I was the only one who knew we were playing. For the first two years, I won fairly regularly, but this past year I had no such luck. Kind of embarrassing, 'cause I lost a game that my opponents didn't even realize we were playing :P
Connect it with something good. Happiness is a mental game. If you make positive links in your head, you'll think more positively in general.
I like to sing, so I typically sing while I do the dishes. When I think of dishes I connect it with singing, which turns it into a happy thought :)
Give it a bigger purpose. Anything can be mundane if you don't see a higher purpose.
Life is to love and serve, so make it out of love and service. I'd think of my roommate: she's pretty busy so she probably wont have time to do her dishes this week--she's taking 14 credits, has practice once a week, not to mention social obligations :) (And this is the part where you set aside the fact that you're taking 16 credits, have a job, teach Sunday School, and play on a basketball and a volleyball team) Apartment life (and home life) is better when roommates (and families) serve each other regularly. And service--and love showing in general--makes you happier :)
It'll take time and creativity, but it this tip will help you be happier.
Good luck in your happiness finding endeavors!
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