A
concept that I have come to believe to be true
99.999%
of the time.
When anything happens to us, our first reaction is to
over emphasize its immediate importance. Most of the
time, it doesn't matter. Very few specific instances in
our life have lasting effects on us (these are usually
limited to life threatening accidents).
The events that have lasting effects on our lives are
usually a build up of several smaller choices we make. So,
when it comes down to it, no one single event really has
that much bearing on our lives. If a single event is
really that important, its probably due to the fact that
you have let other things slide, thus causing that event
to carry more importance than it ever should.
Like being late for work; 6 months, 6 weeks, or even 6
days from that point, it shouldn't matter. If it does
matter, you've been late too many times before, and this
one instance isn't the cause of your problems. You have problems because you were late too many times before.
So, when anything happens to you that causes you to
panic, stop, take a deep breath and think "How will
this event affect me a week/month/year from now?". Most
likely, it really isn't that important. So, don't stress
out over it. We tend to make the most mistakes when we
are stressed and our hearts are racing.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't take life seriously,
just don't sweat the small stuff and you will probably
find yourself happier. I know I do.