I have come to the realization that happiness and well-being can be achieved each day through simple appreciation of the little things we normally would take for granted if we are not aware.

With the amount of things that could possibly go wrong in our day to day living, with the built up frustration of trying to make lead way pursuing our ambitions as millennials, it’s so very easy to keep the cycle going just hoping that happiness will come to us, perhaps when we find the perfect guy, or we make more money, or we accomplish that goal….but what if we don’t have to just wait anymore?

What if we get to create happy scenarios for ourselves?

We can instead seek out our favorite things that we can relish in and use as our happy escapes, we can pick one thing each day that we can do to bring ease, smile, relaxation and happiness….

After we launched my new media platform for millennial change-makers, TANTV, I felt drained and exhausted, it became apparent to put my well-being first rather than being overwhelmed with anxiety about making sure the endeavor is successful. I have learnt that I can still be as ambitious but can incorporate little rituals to make my day better and deal with the entrepreneurial anxieties us millennials all struggle with.

I’ll go first! Here’s a list of my simple happy pleasures, my favorite things that serve as a happy escape:

1. Music

Listening to 60′s French pop station on my Spotify while getting dressed, while cooking, while in the bathroom… (music is good for one’s well-being)

2. Movies

I love watching foreign movies. I find it so relaxing and entertaining, don’t forget very therapeutic too. I watch Korean movies and their drama series, love watching movies that have a mixture of French, Italian and of course my Nigerian movies in Yoruba or any Nigerian comedy drama. I most recently caught up on Netflix the Nigerian movie called Wedding Party and I had such a good laugh! Foreign language movies just gives me this international and sophisticated feel which makes me happy.

3. Travelling

Travelling to a new place or even a place I’ve been before but feeling like I’m a tourist every single time helps. Taking pictures, eating in restaurants, sitting by the bar ordering a drink not from the menu but daring the bartender to mix something special just for you, (I go for something sweet and a little strong enough to give the right kick!) Just how I love it! I also love my green juices so that’s something I look to grab when I travel. Also Staycations is the new millennial travel secret. Get a group of loved ones and drive thirty minutes away to the best neighborhood in the district, spend a night and have fun being a tourist for a day in your city.

4. Book-Wild

   Going into the bookstore and letting my imagination run wild, sitting on the floor and browsing      through books that could catch my interest for more than a minute is something I cherish so much. Kindle does not give me the muse I need as a creative. The best part is walking out with ten books right there in hand and feeling excited to go indulge.

5. Exposure

Learn to operate in a frequency of possibility mentality to press forward each day. You can do this through exploratory researches particularly looking at the lives of men and what they have accomplished in your area of interest, also through personal development materials. Reading, educating and entertaining yourself through personal development books is a big form of well-being enhancer, you take the time to tap into someone else’s knowledge or mind, and learn from their own perspective to add to your own well of knowledge, nothing is more artistic than that. I love books, meeting people, experiences and I invest in them. I get inspired by reading to add to my knowledge, makes me feel resourceful.

6. Self-Care

Designing mini body and self-care practices such as soaking myself in the bath for an hour and just using that time to truly relax and just let my imaginations run is one of the best gift I give myself when I can. Diane-Von-Furstenberg wrote a coffee-table book called The Bath and it reveals the sacred act of personal hygiene, showers and general self-care rituals for personal well-being. Self-care is an Art not just an act.