Life can be hard. Life can be stressful. Whether you’re trying to make money blogging or attain political superstardom, it’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed by everything involved. As a result, you lose sight of the little things and ultimately, it’s the little things that matter the most.

Let me share a story with you that Susanne told me the other day.

As some of you may or may not know, Susanne is currently working as a medical laboratory assistant. This means that when you get a requisition from your doctor to get a blood test, Susanne would be the person working in the lab that actually draws your blood, gets the vial labeled, and ships it off for analysis. As you can probably imagine, it takes a caring and patient person to be effective in this kind of role.

She had a six-year-old boy come into the lab who needed some blood work done. He seemed to be a brave little soul, telling Susanne that he’s been through this before and he’s “okay” with it. Contrast this to some other young children — and grown adults for that matter — who are deathly afraid of needles and having their blood taken. Upon seeing the needle, the young boy grew a little more apprehensive but he managed to get through the process without too much trouble.

As a reward for being a good boy, Susanne offered him a choice of stickers to use on top of the bandage. There were stickers featuring characters from Spongebob Squarepants and Finding Nemo. Interestingly, he was terribly indecisive and couldn’t make up his mind for at least five or ten minutes. As an additional reward for being a good boy, he was also given a pack of three crayons. He thanked Susanne and proceeded to make his way back to the reception area.

However, as he got close to reception, the young boy abruptly turned around and came running back, giving Susanne a hug. It was a brief moment, to be sure, but it’s these kinds of moments that make your job, your work, and even your life worthwhile. These moments can be a great source of happiness.

Some people may tell you to not sweat the small stuff and how the little things don’t matter. I wouldn’t say that they’re wrong, but they are going about it the wrong way. You should pay attention to some small things, like when an adorable little boy thanks and hugs you for poking him with a needle.