Too many times in life we are all convinced the world is against us. I just drove back to school from Thanksgiving break and a car ride that should have been 4 hours turned into 8.5 when we encountered bumper-to-bumper traffic and a blown out tire. I discovered along the way that I not only forgot things at home, but also had my mom’s car keys in my purse after being on the road for over an hour. Needless to say, I was crabby and had the attitude that “everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong”.

Instead of being crabby, I tried to think about all of the little things that were going right in my life. Maybe I am a “glass-half-full” type of person, but in my opinion, the little things in life are what are most important and are often overlooked. The small subliminal things that we don’t realize and usually cost nothing at all are often the things that end up making us the happiest. We need to learn to appreciate these little things more often and we will all be happier people rather than getting caught up in the things that go wrong.

Here are 41 little things in life that make us happy:

1. Sleeping in your own bed after a long trip
2. Finding money in your pockets you forgot was there
3. Sleeping in newly washed sheets
4. A perfect shave
5. A good hair day
6. Waking up one minute before your alarm goes off
7. Waking up hours early and getting to go back to sleep
8. Popping bubble wrap
9. Hearing an old song you used to love and remembering all the words
10. Making a baby/child smile
11. Laughing until your abs start aching
12. Making someone else genuinely laugh
13. Sleeping while rain pats against your window
14. Getting a front row parking spot
15. The moment when you’ve finished all of your work
16. Hitting all green lights
17. Getting a call/text from someone you were just thinking about
18. Seeing a rainbow
19. Your favorite pair of jeans that fit just perfectly
20. Checking things off your to-do list
21. When something you ordered online finally arrives
22. Saying the same thing simultaneously as your best friend
23. A familiar smell
24. Receiving an unexpected compliment
25. The first sip of water when you’re really thirsty
26. The feeling after a good workout
27. Crunching leaves
28. Being the first to walk on fresh snow
29. The first spoonful of a fresh jar of peanut butter
30. Tearing anything perforated
31. Paying with exact change
32. Successfully tossing something in the trash from a distance
33. Jamming out in the car
34. A clean room
35. Getting the right answer on something you totally guessed on
36. Fresh baked cookies
37. Binge watching your favorite TV show
38. Wearing your favorite sport team’s shirt and a stranger complimenting you
39. Cancelled classes
40. Opening the fridge and finding leftovers you forgot you had
41. Elevator doors opening as soon as you press the button