How many times have you found yourself counting down the days until the next event you have to look forward to? Many of us can find ourselves so invested in looking forward to the future that we have countdown apps or whiteboard countdowns to keep track of the exact number of days.

We have all fallen into the trap of worrying too much about the future and lost the ability to live each day fully. I used to find myself constantly counting down the days until summer, prom, my birthday, or any special event that I could use as an incentive to get through each day.

I have been this way for most of my life — I remember being a child and asking my mom to give me “something to think about," or something exciting happening that week that I could think about to get me to go to sleep. It was not until a few years ago that I realized that this mindset can cause you to miss out on the little pleasures of each day.

Once I had this epiphany, I tried to alter my mentality and stopped counting down to events. Although I deleted the countdown app and made a conscious effort not to spend too much time thinking about the future, I still did not succeed in finding the joy in each day. Fast forward to college, and my roommate and I came up with a little tradition in order to help each other recognize that each day has something to be happy about.

When we are apart during the day, we will often text each other about good things that have happened to us, and we use the phrase, “peace and blessings” to show excitement about those things. If we have not discussed a positive happening from that day by the time we are getting ready for bed, we usually ask each other what the “peace and blessing” of the day was.

Most of the time, our moment of joy in each day is quite small and may seem insignificant until we share it with one another and validate that it is something to be thankful for. Some of our recurring “peace and blessings” are getting a coffee, having a class cancelled, doing well on an exam, or seeing a cute dog.

This started as a joke between my friends and I, but we quickly realized that it was beneficial to all of us. Not only is it a way to find even the smallest bit of happiness in each and every day, but it is a great way to keep each other informed of what happened during our busy days.

Looking forward to special events in your life is important and can serve as a way to get through each day and progress to the future, but it should not be the end-all be-all of your happiness. You can find joy in each day in the smallest of ways and still look forward to the future.