Don't Sweat The Small Stuff


Quote of the day: 

There is overwhelming evidence that the higher the level of self-esteem, the more likely one will be to treat others with respect, kindness, and generosity. -Nathaniel Branden 





More often than not we tend to go through life measuring everything and everyone that we come in contact with. However it must be said that even a happy life cannot be without a measure of unhappiness at some point. A man or woman lives by certain ideals, conjuring various dreams, with a personal manual, a set of principles on how things should operate. And in the vastness of it all, behind the very depth of field lies important life lessons-out of focus but called upon whenever needed, but if we actually learn from these lessons is another matter entirely.

It is generally known that anything that annoys us mirrors something deep inside. As we grow older we are more able to suppress our displeasure over things, of course this is not to suggest a concealment of emotion but rather an informed life lesson not to 'sweat the small stuff'. No need worrying over things that aren't too important on your scale of priorities or not life changing in any shape or form. The big picture is the prize, letting go is the power. It's all about perception and attitude, concept and feeling, impression and grasp of how everything fits together like a jigsaw puzzle.

How you perceive yourself is truly different from how the world sees you. You see the world through eyes with a sense of sound, scent and touch all aiding your consciousness. But when you look at another individual all you see is their outward persona and ethos. People become art -movable and interactive. And what is art if not an expression of human imagination and vision. And predictably we take our time time to gaze, to dissect, to label, to judge and to try to understand how and why the art form works. Alas we are all art to the world. And do we then not view ourselves favourably, do we then not treat ourselves with respect and humility so that others will mirror the same. If you are seen to be well put together, taking care of yourself in a noble manner you in effect teach others to treat you in a similar fashion.

I often find that to change the way I am treated, I've had to change the way I treat others. We may have differences of opinion but aren't we all equal, all yearn for the same thing -to be understood? But how easy it is for our thoughts to be clouded by our own view of ourselves and the world, neither venturing out of our cocoon nor accepting the fact that other cocoons exist. I'd like to believe that leading a more relaxed lifestyle starts with acknowledging the most obvious of things.


Peace. Love. Light* 



Current Listen: Maynard Ferguson - Chameleon

Post a Comment

47 Comments

  1. I think that opening quote is incomplete. I believe there is a curve to the effect. Low self esteem often leads to poor treatment of others, and this improves as self esteem goes up. But with very high self esteem comes mistreatment of others again because it verges on self worship, or narcissism.

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  2. I read into this that those who fail to accept others who do not share their believes are unsure about their own believes. Like a stomping three-year-old.
    That would fit to extremists, too. Or does it, I´m not sure.
    But it´s true, the older most of us get the less we make a big scene about the smaller things.

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  3. ...it's too easy to get hung up of the little stuff!

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  4. You definitely learn as you get older that the happier you are with yourself the easier life will be ��

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  5. Many interesting thoughts here - both yours and the quote with which you began. Some of what you say reminds me of the Buechner book I recently read. Interesting, too, is the observation from your first commenter above.

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  6. So true that we see ourselves differently than the world does, excellent post my friend.

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  7. I've also had experience with changing the way I treat certain people and finding that they're really quite nice.

    Love,
    Janie

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  8. Great topic, as always. I read a book with this title many years ago, and always remember "will it really matter 1 or 5 years from now? Most of us have forgotten what it was that bothered us in the first place right? Ultimately, we see ourselves differently than others. I hope that the two will be fairly close one day soon. Hugs...

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  9. A very interesting concept that we are all art. Have a good day!

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  10. I live my life like this, and it's weird, because often people just get the idea that I don't care about anything because I'm so lackadaisical with small problems. It's definitely something that's hard for others to adjust to, since most people DO sweat the small stuff way too much.

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  11. I'm not sure whether there is a thing like "small stuff" in life, friend B ... but I do know for a fact that "one man's garbage is another man's treasure" ... Ya ... Love, always, cat.

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  12. Beautiful post!! Have a great day!! Big hugs :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  13. I hope those are manikins hanging upside down. If that were live art there would be a lot of headaches hanging up there.

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  14. Leading a more relaxed lifestyle makes one healthier in mind, and in body. Sound mind in a sound body – how easy it was for the Greeks to understand the importance of this. That is also my focus… I am trying hard to achieve a balanced and relaxed lifestyle that does not involve the unnecessary waste of energy.
    I believe, in a way, in voluntary simplicity. Wanting and needing less. However, in today’s society that is not easy to achieve when we are constantly bombarded with “things” that are supposed to make our life easier.
    And yes, let’s follow the golden rule: you treat others the way you want to be treated.
    Another great post, B.
    Greetings!
    : )

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  15. So well stated. I have nothing to add.

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  16. As a Christian, I believe we are all created in God's image. That being said, how can we not treat one another with love and respect? We are commanded to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.
    Blessings!

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  17. I agree that we change how we are treated in how we treat others, but I also think it is in how we allow ourselves to be treated. Right now I think that is as important as the rest. Nice post!

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  18. Don't sweat it here. Just keep on a going with my rhyming rear. The best way to be.

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  19. Your post made me think of the saying that goes something like,
    If you want a friend, be a friend.

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  20. I so agree. I was a successful and sought after orator for the Freemasons. Your post contains a secret to my success.

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  21. I agree with your thoughts.
    It is always persona that people tend to overlook to a person.

    Much Love,
    Zarrah | The Bandwagon Chic

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  22. I am right with you. The moment we accept and embrace the power and beauty of our own value and happiness, it is so much easier to see (and celebrate) the same elements in others.

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  23. A wonderful write!! Thank you.

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  24. As we age you hope to have learned how to behave and present yourself to others and learn how to assess others upon meeting them.
    You write about much more meaty subjects than the silly stuff that I write.
    Maynard Ferguson huh? I honestly haven't listened to him since I was back in music school in the '70s. It was a jazz school. Good stuff!

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  25. Great photo and I enjoyed your thoughts too.

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  26. Thanks for the great post! Have a nice day)

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  27. Not sweating the small stuff has always been the way I've lived my life. I could never see the point of making a big deal about every little nitpicky thing we come across. That leads to too much drama. BUT... my husband HAD to sweat the small stuff in order to survive his tour in Vietnam as a combat grunt. Needless to say, it took some adjustment on both of our parts to reconcile our differing opinions when he came home.

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  28. That's interesting, thank you for such a thoughtful post.

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  29. Really liked the quote at the top of your post. And I agree that we shouldn't sweat all the small stuff that gets us so stressed and unhappy. You're right that there are unhappy things we all have to deal with and better to just deal with the big ones and let small annoyances pass.

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  30. It was back in 97' when we finally had any form of "self-worth" (much less self-esteem) Was treated badly by others as a kid... (School was Hell... even several Teachers "Plotted" against a seven year old me... Second grade teacher tormented me regularly... even encouraged other students to poke fun at me... she got in trouble for walking by and pinching my arm ... (we bruise very easily) and because of the bruises my parents went off at the principle (Who fussed at the teacher.. so she was even More hateful... and she had my fifth grade teacher do even worse... they were good friends...
    Trying to figure out How to get an EGO...??

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  31. Very good thoughts. I have a mantra that I repeat daily "I can't change others, but I can change me"...it just means that I have the power to change my reaction to others and not let them bother me, as I find that most of society does bother me the more I'm exposed to it! :)

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  32. I love the quotation on the top and your thoughts. Really, we have to work on changing ourselves when we cannot change the world...

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  33. A brilliant quote, "B"...I have found this to be true all my life: low self-esteem does indeed appear to make its sufferers lash out and/or mistrust others.

    It has taken many years to understand that I can never hope to change others...but can always change the way I perceive their words or actions.

    A really brilliant post!

    Greetings.:))

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  34. I agree. It really is about letting go and letting people voice their opinions and feeling heard. You don't have to agree, you can walk away and still feel good about yourself.

    Enjoy the rest of your week! Here's my new blog addy:
    Elsie

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  35. Great thoughts here. The quote at the beginning says it all.

    Greetings from London.

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  36. Great Post...
    Oh Hello, I found your blog through another blog :-)
    Popping in from my blog
    https://thereisbeautyingrace.blogspot.com/

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  37. Always interesting to read your thoughts and ideas.
    Hope you have had a good week.

    All the best Jan

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