It is often said that we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. But what does that mean exactly? To the logical mind, our ego, we are a physical mass of bones, skin, ligaments and organs, separate from everything else in the Universe. Our brain is what “thinks’ our spirit into our human experience, right?

How then does that explain the tears that well up when you see an incredibly beautiful landscape? Or that feeling of unspeakable joy when you are doing something you love? Or that inexplicable intuition–that deep in your gut feeling–that something is so very right and perfect. When you experience these feelings of bliss, you are not thinking the feeling into existence; the bliss already exists inside of you and is being manifested through your experience. These promptings of our Spirit should be noticed, appreciated, nurtured and celebrated. For each time you do, you allow your heart to open just a little further to the authentic beauty that is in you and reflected into the world around you.

I encourage you to set an intention each morning to write down five things over the course of each day that make your heart smile. It might be the smell of a rose, or watching a squirrel play in a tree. It might be the simple feeling of the warm sun on your face, or taking a step towards your dream. Whatever it is, stop and notice it, jot it down on a post-it, in your phone, or even make a voice memo. Make a note of how it made you feel and allow yourself to lean into the feeling. By noticing and recording the heart smiles as you experience them, you will not only become more attuned to noticing these beautiful nuggets of time, you will begin realizing and attracting more joyful experiences into your life.