don’t sweat the small stuff | The Caleb Barney Collection

“Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.” — Robert J. Sawyer

Admit it, sometimes you get worked up over things that actually don’t matter. You get mad at the driver who was texting instead of paying attention that the light turned green a full TWO seconds ago! Or that someone performed a task that was not up to your standards. Or that maybe you didn’t live up to to someone else’s standards…

Regardless of the scenario, I think we tend to make things out to be bigger than they actually are. That’s society today. Even the news, which people used to turn to for “unbiased” facts have become opinion shows that catastrophize every little story to make it more exciting or to make it seem like the sky is falling. That’s how they get more views, better ratings, and more advertisement dollars, after all.

But what if we decided to take a different approach. Instead of paying attention to the trivial stuff – the stuff that doesn’t matter – what if we just left it alone? If we learn to either ignore those things altogether OR we reframe them and see them for what they actually are (non-important events that won’t affect our lives), we will find much more inner peace.

Follow this simple rule…if you won’t remember this specific event in five years, don’t waste five minutes of your time thinking about it. In the grand scheme of life, we need to focus on what is essential to us. What brings us the most joy? Who matters most in our lives? Spend time doing those things and being with those people. Don’t waste your time getting into social media arguments. Let the little things go.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Here’s the secret though…it’s almost all “small stuff.”

If you take life too seriously and you can’t just relax or laugh at yourself, you’re going to make yourself miserable. Stop taking each “event” too seriously! We tend to over-dramatize so much in today’s culture. It’s what’s popular on your favorite tv show, on the news, the gossip at your work or with your friends…it’s too much.

My wife told me that she watched one car cut off another car the other morning, presumably on their way to work. What did the person in the car who felt wronged do? Flip them the bird and tailgate them, of course! Wait, what? How is that making the situation better? Best case scenario, you feel like you “showed them,” but really they don’t care. If they cared that you might get upset at them then they wouldn’t have done it in the first place. Worst case scenario, they brake check you and you get into an accident. Maybe they’re a fugitive and can’t afford to be stopped by the police so they shoot you and run. So what? Are you willing to give up your life, to never see your family or friends again because someone cut you off? Or are you willing to pay for damages to your car and theirs, as well as have your insurance rates raised? Let it go. It doesn’t matter.

There are thousands of examples I could use…

Someone didn’t follow your directions and are asking for help again? Let it go. You can’t control their actions.

The day didn’t go as you planned? Let it go. Do your best to put out fires today and start fresh tomorrow.

Why bring drama into your life over something so minuscule? It’s not worth you getting upset. It can help if you put the situation you’re in into perspective of how small it is in comparison to how long your life is. The situation may seem large to you right now, but will it matter in a week? Will you even remember this a year from now? What about ten years from now? Not likely…

Another way of reframing it is to think how great of a life you have compared to others less fortunate than you. Whatever problem you’re facing is so small compared to what they’re facing. If you’re reading this, you at least have access to the internet. You probably have a roof over your head, are wearing comfortable clothing, and can afford to eat and bathe yourself. That’s not always the case for others, yet we take it for granted. We end up making a big deal out of little things. We allow ourselves to get frustrated and upset with something that really shouldn’t matter (at least not in the long run).

Thinking about this brings me back to one of my favorite quotes, which says, “You get to choose to be happy or to be mad. Why would you choose anything but happiness?” Remember, don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is good. Be happy.