Are you tired of making New Year's resolutions that you never end up keeping? Are weight loss, saving money, and travelling the world resolutions that are just too mainstream for you? If you answered "yes!" (or an even less enthusiastic "maybe") to either of the above questions, I have just the resolution for you!
Your brand new, New Year's resolution is: Stop letting things you can't control bother you!
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Look, I know it's easier said than done, but we can't let the things that we can't change or control, affect us negatively. If we do that, we'll never be happy.
While we're all trying to survive in this fast-paced world, our society decides to hold expectations way above our heads and we're often too busy looking up at them to notice small, uncontrollable, obstacles until they hit us. When that happens, we get so annoyed and upset at whatever has inconvenienced us, that it stays on our mind for the rest of the day or week. Instead of moving on, we gossip about the obstacles and get more and more upset with each re-telling. We never really stop to think about how we don't have control over these roadblocks on the road of life.
Instead of getting angry at having to take a detour, why not look at it as a learning opportunity?
Like when traffic got backed up on the way to work and made you late? Now you know that you need to leave earlier! Time management is an important life skill that not everybody was taught. What better way to learn it than in the very situation that it would be helpful in?
Or what about when you hear people talking about you? You don't like what they're saying so you want to confront them and make them feel horrible for talking about you. Instead of that, though, why not just let it go? What they say doesn't define you as a person so why do you care? This obstacle makes for a great lesson in self-control and patience. I know it's difficult to not say anything, but you'll be better off in the long run if you don't. Chances are, even if you do confront them, they'll continue to talk about you anyway so what's the point? Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing that they ruffled a couple of your feathers. Just smooth them back down and make sure to be around with a cup of tea in your hand when karma decides to show up to bite them in the butt.
The point that I'm trying to get to is that in order to have a happier year (and a happier life) everybody needs to stop letting the small things bother them. Life is way too short for that. So it's time to drop your unnecessary worries, and raise a glass in joy to the New Year instead.
Here's to you: may your bad days be few and your year be filled with opportunity and happiness!
