Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m not a patient person. Too often I let the little things bother me.
Whether it be someone cutting me off in traffic to the restaurant that messed up my order, I constantly have to remind myself to cool down.
Does this sound familiar?
My good friend always tells me not to sweat the small stuff and I always tell him he’s right, yet have I really taken his advice? After thinking about it, I would have to say for the most part, NO.
We all know we can’t sweat the small stuff, there are too many big things that need our attention, yet the small stuff can distract or side track us.
I don’t know what the small stuff is in your life but chances are that you have and/or will let it distract you.
So how can you keep the small stuff from ruining your progress? Let’s keep it very simple:
Realize it’s there
The first step in dealing with any problem is admitting there is a problem, right? When you’re dealing with a situation and it’s just bugging you, admit what’s going on, address it.
I have a very dedicated hater, if you follow the comments on this blog, you’ve probably seen them. That hater has even followed me to my guest posts 
Dan Black can vouch for that.
Normally I can just ignore them or kill them with kindness but last week it just got to me. I read some comments on my blog post and went about my day. As the day went on, I was very short with people.
By mid day I had to step back and evaluate, what was going on? I finally had to admit to myself that those hater’s comments were really bothering me.
In retrospect, comments from a hater aren’t that big of a deal. I write to help people who are where I was at, I really want to help, I don’t write for the haters. So their comments shouldn’t bother me, I know they just need to get a life.
Once I admitted what was going on, I could deal with it and finally move on. Normally I let people comment what they want on my blog, I don’t want to censor anyone and I know not everyone will agree.
However, after realizing how much it was bothering me and realizing that the comments weren’t constructive, I deleted the comments and blacklisted that person from this blog.
Certain things shouldn’t be a big deal but if you don’t realize it, they can snowball into a huge problem. Nip them right away, realize what they are and how they’re affecting you.
Once you realize they’re there:
Deal with them
The first thing I did when I realized how much I was bothered was talk to my wife. She usually is the voice of reason for me and talks me off the ledge.
She told me exactly what I needed to hear and I instantly felt better. If you have someone like that in your life, talk to them, let them know what you’re dealing with.
Even if the things that are bothering you seem petty, get them off your chest. Saying them out loud, voicing what’s inside will relieve that tension inside.
The next thing I did was get out my ear buds and turn on some Pandora. Music always soothes and helps me and can help you.
Whatever sound track you listen to, turn it on for a few minutes and let it sink in. Just close your eyes, tune out the noise and listen to the music.
For me, prayer is first and foremost. I take some time away to speak to my Lord. For you, what ever method you use to get through things, do it.
The one thing I really want you to take away from this post is don’t hold it all inside. The “small stuff” isn’t really small if it affects you.
How do you deal with the small stuff?
