So you finally cave and buy that perfume or cologne you’ve been eyeing for years. Maybe it’s that nice shirt, or that candle that you couldn’t stop smelling in the store. Maybe you buy it knowing you have a specific event in mind, but you might find that it typically just sits in your closet or in your bathroom collecting dust. It’s just never the “right time” to use or to wear it. After all, today your plans are going to the grocery store and going for a walk with a friend. The candle sits untouched on the shelf because you’re waiting for an evening that feels worthy. The top you haven’t worn because the occasion just hasn’t come.
I know this cycle well—it feels like an attempt to create meaningfulness. But if we’re honest, it’s often just postponing our joy. We push simple pleasures into the future, as if life will suddenly align into that cinematic “perfect moment”. This can even show up as putting off meeting a friend until your schedule feels wide open (spoiler: it never really does).
Here’s the hard truth: the “perfect” moment doesn’t arrive when we wait for it; it shows up spontaneously in the messy, ordinary moments of our lives. Lighting the candle after a long, stressful day. Spritzing that perfume before running errands. Putting on the nice shirt just because it makes you smile. Finally saying yes to coffee with a friend, even if you only have an hour to spare.
These small choices matter. In fact, a study found that incorporating daily pleasures – like lighting that candle or putting on that perfume – increase positive emotions and boost overall life satisfaction more reliably than even major life events (Miwa, 2025). These small choices interrupt the loop of unnecessary waiting, and remind us that joy isn’t something to hoard for the future—it’s something we can practice now.
So here’s my challenge to you: don’t wait this week. Wear it. Use it. Call them. Let today be the “perfect” moment – not because it checked all the boxes, but because you chose to make it one.
Reference:
Miwa, K. (2025). Small but Certain Happiness in Daily Life: Structure and Relation with Well-Being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 26(5), Article 63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-025-00896-2