FW: DailyOM: A Matter Of Priorities

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November

6, 2007

A Matter Of

Priorities

Letting Go Of The Little Stuff

We

experience numerous disappointments each and every day. Our expectations

go unmet, our plans are blocked by circumstance, our wishes go

unfulfilled, and we discover that our lives are subject to a myriad of

forces beyond our conscious control. In some cases, our response is

powerful because we must invest ourselves and our resources to overcome

genuine hardship. In others, our reactions are far more passionate than

our circumstances likely warrant. The tension that permeates our bodies

and minds when we are late for an event, interrupted at work, or sitting

in traffic is not inappropriate, but it can interfere with our well-being

in profound ways. When we stop worrying about relatively unimportant

matters, we can be at peace and devote so much more of ourselves to what

is truly important.

The small frustrations and irritations wield such power over us because

they rob us of the illusion of control. But every problem is a potential

teacher—a confusing situation is an opportunity to practice mindfulness,

and difficult people provide us with opportunities to display compassion.

There is a natural human tendency to invest copious amounts of emotional

energy in minor dilemmas and frustrations in order to avoid confronting

those more complex issues that are largely outside the realm of our

control. The intensity of our response provides us with a temporary sense

of personal power that helps us cope with challenges that might otherwise

overwhelm us. But it is only when we let the little stuff go that we

discover that the big stuff is not really so devastating after all.

In the stress of a singularly tense incident, differentiating between an

inconsequential annoyance and a legitimate challenge can seem a

monumental task. Ask yourself whether the emotions you are feeling will

be as vivid in a year, a day, or even an hour. As focused as you are on

this moment in time, your reward for letting go of your emotional

investment may be the very happiness and harmony of being whose loss you

are lamenting. Needless aggravation is seldom worth the cost it exacts.

You cannot distance yourself from life's inconsistencies, irritations,

and upheavals, but you can relinquish your desire for perfect order and

gain peace of mind in the process.

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