‘Don’t sweat the small stuff …. and it’s all small stuff’ was a line attributed to Dr Wayne Dyer, author and motivational speaker. It was later used ,with his permission, as the title of a book by author, Richard Carlson.
It tells us not to worry about the little things in life and how most of the stuff we worry about, is actually small. A friend unintentionally, says something unkind and you mull over the comment for days. A family member lets you down and you feel hurt and angry for weeks. You cancel an event you were going to attend and then feel guilty for ages. A piece of artwork or writing is criticised and we feel deflated and unworthy.
How often do we dwell on the little things in life and make them out to be much bigger than they really are? Are comments said in haste or error really that important? Can’t we just let them go? If we feel hurt, can we contact the person and explain how we are feeling? When we can’t attend a pre-arranged date, why should we feel we need to justify ourselves? If something we create is deemed ‘not good enough’, is this just our ego talking?
Why do we worry so much about what others may say? Do we fear criticism and judgement? Are their opinions that important?
So many problems in life are created from the perspective that we view them in. If we see them as disasters, then yes, they will be disasters. But what if we see them as just a part of life? Not everything goes to plan.
When we state our opinion, or create a piece of art, or just be ourselves, not everyone will accept or like it. But that’s okay. Being ourselves makes us vulnerable, but if we constantly hide our light, no one will ever see it shining.
Life has its ups and downs. Real tragedies happen. Illness and loss can affect all of us. However most of what we experience are smaller problems. If we see them as emergencies, we not only make them more difficult to manage, but we will raise our stress levels. And raising our stress levels, impacts our health.
Don’t sweat the small stuff …. and it’s all small stuff, is a great reminder of how to live our lives. Next time you are in a traffic jam, or held up in a queue, or the computer breaks down just stop and breathe. Let go of everything being ‘just right’, or everything being perfect.
Life is not perfect. It’s full of happiness, success, creativity, sadness, loss, grief, messiness and joy. Are our problems really that huge or are most of them manageable? Do we really need to ‘sweat the small stuff’ or can we look at life from a new, more peaceful perspective?
I really believe it is possible. Perhaps next time something happens that makes you anxious or upset, ask yourself, is it that important? Does it really matter? It’s a great reminder for me, too. Maybe we can all react differently and as Richard Carlson says in his book, “respond to life more gracefully.”
With love,
Judy xxx
References: https://gostrengths.com/dont-sweat-the-small-stuff, Photo by Javardh on Unsplash.
Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.