In The Grand Scheme . . .

If you start that phrase with either of my kids, after years of hearing it, they would finish with:

"does it really matter?"

Far too often we are irritated, bothered, dragged down, and frustrated by the silliness, stupidity, selfishness, or insanity of other people. It is only human to 'react' to situations, but if you apply just a minimal amount of patience, it is truly astounding what you are able to do.

With just a little restraint, instead of freaking out and getting even or retaliating, you can calmly remove yourself from a situation, or change the course of the situation, or create just a tiny change in the climate of the ruckus and avert disaster.

You need only ask yourself, prior to exploding,

"In The Grand Scheme of things . . . does it really matter?"

If I'm scheduled thirteen days in a row, I can choose to lose to my cool and rant and rave and behave like a lunatic, or . . . alter the issue.

If someone is saying untrue things about me, can I alter what comes from their mouth? No. I can trust in the fact that folks know who I really am.

If the idiot in the silver Mercedes cut me off only to arrive at the stop light eight seconds before me, should I be having a hissy fit? No. I will get where I'm going - eventually. They obviously have some place they need to be.

"In The Grand Scheme of things" . . . if it doesn't physically injure me, my family, or my friends, . . . does it really matter? Will it truly and meaningfully impact my life? Most of the time, the answer is a giant, emphatic NO!

If you can defuse a situation - get to work.
If you can alter a disaster - start shifting gears.
If you cannot fix other people or what they do - does it really matter?