36. Don't sweat the small things.

People vary in how they handle problems and difficult situations. Some get overwhelmed by a seemingly never-ending parade of problems. They may ponder over what to wear for the day, when to leave for work, do they have enough gas in the car and what they should make for lunch. Their life is a litany of decisions that they find quite stressful. Others are not concerned with any of the above issues, they just go with the flow. They don't sweat the small things. 

I will admit that I grew from being a 'sweater" to becoming rather unconcerned with daily little issues. As a student, I would be upset if I couldn't do one homework question or made one mistake on a spelling test. I was conscientious but also very concerned if I couldn't do something or deal with a small issue. As I grew older, I started to learn that worry is a waste of time. Whether I worried or not, did not ultimately affect the result of the situation. I began to learn to look at the bigger picture and not stress or be concerned over small details.

Ultimately, I have assumed the philosophy to not sweat the small things and everything is a small thing. That is perhaps a little bit of a stretch as there are some important issues that deal with human interactions, financial responsibilities, the work world and family life. But all of the little issues that some people stress over are not a part of my life anymore.

I think I have developed a lifestyle that is based upon a belief that there are usually many options for solving any problem. If one approach doesn't work select another one. My turning point was a decision either to quit university when I was hit with my 39% in Physics, as I have written about before, and instead chose to just do the best I could, work hard, and let the chips fall where they may. I continue to abide by that simple philosophy today.

Many people have difficulty discerning between what is really important and what is not as important. Unless you develop the ability to see the really important issues, you may forever be condemned to worrying about dust balls under the bed. I don’t!