For example, if I find a little ‘treasure’ in the street, like a tiny plastic alligator (true story), it makes me laugh and feel really happy because it’s such a cute little oddity in the middle of a busy city. It makes me think of the joy and innocence of children, of a time of life when there are (hopefully) no worries and only toys and playing. This is a mental state I try to come back to regularly, to be a ‘clean slate’ over and over again in order to receive the magic of what life is all about, instead of being continually bogged down by the daily grind and all of our endless responsibilities.

So I will put the alligator on my desk at work (true story, too) so that every time I look at it I am reminded that my happiest feelings toward the world and toward life are when I am open to its surprises.

This is just an idea. If you’re not a plastic alligator/street treasure person, perhaps you have a favorite symbol or image that you can put in several places that you frequent. It really works for me.