Something piss you off today? Did you get hit with a series of annoying things that got you really angry? Hey, you are not the Lone Ranger, it happens to all of us, many times throughout the day.
Yes, irritating things happen. You are late for an appointment and traffic lights all seem to flick to yellow just as you near. You hit the perfect put, but it lips around the cup instead of dropping. Your internet service goes down just as you were getting to some juicy Facebook postings. Bummer
Okay, irritating things happen, but then what do you do? Do you pound your steering wheel in frustration? Do you fling your putter into the lake? Do you kick your computer off the desk and watch it spin across the floor?
All valid reactions. None really surprising. But what have you achieved? Did you get to your meeting on time? Probably not. Did you sink your nest put? Not likely. After all, you got rid of the only putter in your bag. Did you find out what your best friends ordered at Starbucks? No, but you might realize that you really didn’t care.
Next time you find yourself frustrated by the daily irritants that life inevitably throws at you, try this. Say to yourself, “That sucks but it is in the past. Nothing I can do to change it. Time to move on.”
Do that and you will accomplish two things.
First, you will have decoupled yourself from whatever frustration just happened. It is gone. You accept that fact.
Second, you will have shifted your focus to the future. Don’t dwell on the past. Learn from it but put it where it belongs. Put it behind you. What you do going forward is what counts.
How would that work with the irritants noted above?
Next time you have scheduled a meeting across town, leave ten minutes early. If the traffic lights go in your favor, you can always go over your meeting notes when you arrive.
Your putting? Maybe no help here. That is one of the reasons I don’t play golf. That silly game must have been created to punish those who have learned to deal with life’s other irritants.
Catching up with friends on Facebook (and other social media)? No argument, Facebook has clearly revolutionized the way people connect. But there is a downside. Because it is so easy, we tend to throw out truly meaningless trivia. Do we really want our daily focus to be on what new latte is being offered by Starbucks? Instead, call up a friend and arrange to meet and talk about some of the meaningful occurrences of the day. Face to face connections are important.
What about more distant friends? Email might be the only way to reach out. Try sharing your thoughts about an important event from today’s news. Attach a clipping from a regular news source. Not as good as a face to face exchange but better than five words on a Facebook posting.
Next time you are hit with life’s irritating dramas, put the event into perspective and move on.
More irritations will certainly follow, but you know how to deal with them.