With so much going on in the world right now to make us feel sad, confused, hopeless, frustrated, and so many other emotions, I’m here to remind everyone that it’s the little things that matter. It’s the little things that add up and make our days worth living, or worth crying over. It’s the minuscule details that break our hearts or make us sing with joy. Allow me to illustrate.

It is not the refugee crisis that makes us cry. When the topic is brought up in conversation, we do not shed tears. It is when we see a picture of a child’s torn and burnt teddy bear buried in rubble from a smashed building that we feel the familiar prick behind our eyes.

Conversely, when we hear about how firefighters save lives every day, we appreciate this, but we are not moved by the fact. But watch a video of a firefighter talking to a frantic family and watch him turn and rush back into the blaze, only to emerge with a soot-covered dog in his arms, to which he offers his own oxygen mask; it is then that we feel our hearts swell.

So, first, remember that these little things affect everyone. Remember that the people you see on newscasts taking actions you disagree with are motivated by the little things, too.

The big reasons they use to justify the ideas they present aren’t what’s truly motivating them. Something more important happened in their life, yet this more important thing was so small they just don’t know how to express it to you in words.

Secondly, the people you engage in heated debates with, the people you simply can’t understand because of the hateful things you believe they’re saying, are motivated by the little things, too. Look deeper – find what’s truly motivating them, and seek not to disagree and refute, but to understand.

Third, realize what’s truly motivating you. It’s not the bigger picture. It’s not the casualty number or the amount of money spent or the number of people fighting for the cause. It’s something small that happened, probably a long time ago, that shaped your perspective today.

When you understand what it is, when you learn what your motivations are, you can decide whether they deserve merit. If they do, seek to express them in ways that still acknowledge the truth in what other people say.

Lastly, keep in mind the little things as you move through your day. People aren’t motivated as much by their causes as they are by the hurtful things they hear against them, or the lovely things that build them up.

Take a stand and vow to pay attention to the little things instead of the big picture. Help someone – give them a hand when they’ve fallen, literally or metaphorically.

In the end, it’s the little things we remember, and it’s the little things that shape our lives. Don’t let a little thing you do be the reason someone’s day isn’t worth smiling about.

Because, in the end, we all deserve to be happy, and it’s the little things that make life worth living.