Don’t sweat the small stuff. (American informal): something that you say in order to tell someone not to worry about things that are not important.
The 8th trait of a positive leadership legacy is: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Ha. Like that is really easy. Who doesn’t struggle with this? Your crazy if you tell me you have NEVER worried about the small things. So, what are small things? How about this guy in the picture below. He sure looks concerned that someone is going to drop the balloon. I bet it is a water balloon.
But seriously, what are somethings? We can’t control the traffic light. It is out of our reach to control it. We can’t control when our pet needs to go outside. We shouldn’t get uptight when the dishes are dirty and we haven’t the time to put them in the dishwasher or to wash them by hand.
Here is an excerpt from an absorbing book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – and it’s all small stuff 
Often we allow ourselves to get all worked up about things that, upon closer examination, aren’t really that big a deal. We focus on little problems and concerns and blow them way out of proportion. a stranger, for example, might cut in front of us in traffic. Rather than let it go, and go on with our day, we convince ourselves that we are justified in our anger. We play out an imaginary confrontation in our mind. Many of us might even tell someone else about the incident later on rather than let it go.
Why not simply allow the driver to have his accident somewhere else? Try to have compassion for the person and remember how painful it is to be in such an enormous hurry. This way, we can maintain our sense of well-being and avoid taking other people’s problems personally.
There are many similar “small stuff” examples that occur every day in our lives. Whether we had to wait in line, listen to unfair criticism, or do the lion’s share of work, it pays enormous dividends if we learn not to worry about little things. So many people spend so much of their life energy “sweating the small stuff” that they completely lose touch with the magic and beauty of life. When you commit to working toward this goal you will find that you will have far more energy to be kinder and gentler.
Will this really matter?
Ask yourself the question: Will this matter in a year from now? How about in a month? A week. Or how about a day? Or the next few hours. For some, maybe the next few hours. But, you get the point. How important is it to burn energy or lose sleep over something that is minor in life? That is something I have done. In fact, I have done it several times. I must have been crazy. But, why on earth would I do it again and again? Some of us are like that. It’s in our “DNA.” It’s the way we have been made. So, to apply this simple truth is harder than for others. It takes work.
Don’t ignore it.
Some say we should sweat the small stuff. Some say that if we ignore the small things, they will only grow into bigger things. I don’t think that is entirely true. There are some things we can walk away from, as you read in the excerpt. So, I won’t address this issue any further here. I’ll leave it open for debate for you, the reader.
The bottom line:
Indeed, it does go on. Don’t forget that.
Share with me what your thoughts are on this post. Do you agree, disagree? A different perspective? I would like to hear from you.