Sweat the Small Stuff and Major in the Minor Things

A year ago my friend's father suffered a heart attack. He survived but required emergency surgery. Later she said this was a horrible time in her life but her friends and coworkers surrounded her with support. We took care of her kids, shopped and covered for her at work. She felt very loved and protected during this time even though a tragedy had occurred.


I know people say ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ but I believe it is the small stuff compounded over time that can put you in the grave. The chronic longtime irritating stuff can be the cause of your migraine headaches, the stomach ulcers or your own heart attack.

It’s the daily problems that you don’t tell anyone about. It’s the little irritants that we have hanging over our heads every day. The squeaky door, the broken windshield wiper, and the hot water heater that runs cold too quickly.

Try this experiment-decide to sweat the small stuff.   Get a piece of paper and start writing down everything that irritates you - big and small. Once a week attempt to resolve one or two of these irritants from the list. 

When I did this my own list it included a dead spider carcass that was stuck to the ceiling above the shower in my bathroom. I never thought about that stupid spider until I was in the shower- helpless...unable to do anything about it. However; one day I jumped out of the shower, wet and freezing to jot down this little irritant.  Later that week as I was going through my list of irritants it was so easy to get a broom and knock that irritating spider off the ceiling.

You will feel empowered as you remove each irritant from your life. Some will be simple such as getting rid of the spider. Others may require more time and money. The hot water heater that did not supply enough hot water required replacement at a cost of a couple hundred dollars. However, it was worth every penny because I can take a shower without the fear of running out of hot water ....and it's relaxing now that  the spider is gone.

This little experiment paid off in ways I could never have imagined.  I began to notice that I backed down to pushy and agressive people...and that irritated me.  I jotted this fact down on my list and began to stand up for myself.  It wasn't comfortable or easy at first but standing up for myself felt better than being ran over.  Now I assert myself without thinking....pushy people no longer irritate me.

Write down the things that irritate you, set aside an hour a week and vow to resolve at least one thing on that list. When you begin doing this you will probably have a long list and you might be surprised at how many tiny things are irritating you. As time goes by however your list will become smaller  –some weeks you may not even have anything on the list. 

I realized the other day that I only have about forty years of life left on this earth --- I plan to enjoy it by not putting up with petty annoyances.

Sweat the small stuff and major in the minor things so you can live life on your own terms.