A friend of mine once said to me, at a time when I was really upset about something (and in her patient attempt to calm me down) “OK, but will this even matter a year from now?”
She was right. I was getting completely worked up over something that was more or less going to be irrelevant by the NEXT DAY.
Yes, I admit, sometimes it just feels good to be mad, but it’s not healthy how often we lose our shit over small stuff.
So why do we get so upset – so easily – over the “small stuff”?
➡️ we’re high-strung and feeling the pressures of life – causing us to be tense and irritable.
➡️ we’ve assumed the intention of that person – they don’t care, they aren’t serious, etc.
➡️ we’re reactive vs being responsive – our emotions are sitting in the driver seat and gunning it.
➡️ we’ve taken it personally and are therefore offended – this is our ego at its finest.
➡️ an expectation was not met which led to disappointment – made worse if it isn’t the first time.
When we are overworked, exhausted, and filled with anxiety, our ego takes over as captain of the ship.
Ego and love cannot co-exist, so when we allow our ego to take control, we no longer think and act from a place of love. We stop trusting others, assume everyone is out to get us, and see everyone as a competitor, rather than an ally.
To avoid the ego take-over, here are seven of my favourite lessons from the classic book “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (and it’s all small stuff)” by Richard Carlson:
Look at your problems as “teachers”
everything is a lesson to be learned
Do one thing at a time
overwhelm is oh-so real
Celebrate victories
big or small, it’s all worth recognition
Trust your gut
your intuition knows the way
Choose your battles wisely
sometimes it’s just not worth your energy
Make peace with imperfection
we never get it wrong and it’s never done
Choose being kind over being right
no one wins when pride steps in
We must always think and act from a place of love. Taking a #mindfulmoment when a situation pops up can help put things into perspective, which will allow us to better handle a situation – because I’m betting it won’t even matter a year from now.
