Dont Sweat the Small stuff

When I was about 5 years old, we went to visit my grandparents. During this visit, my grandfather gave me a book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”. I always thought he gave me the book because it was the only piece if literature he owned that I could actually read and it kept me busy all day. However, the older I got, the more meaningful it became to me. Even just the title alone says it all.

So often in relationships we forget to remember the small things. Our minds are clouded with money issues, control issues, the inability to share properly, parenting disagreements, family problems, etc. In the mix of it all, we fail to remember the real reasons we chose to surround ourselves around the people we have.

The next time you and your spouse are going through rough times, instead of focusing on the negative, write down the things you love about them.

For example:

One year my husband didn’t acknowledge my birthday. I was deeply hurt. I was trying to hold it in and act like it didn’t bother me, but I realized that my frustrations about this one issue, was now affecting other things. I was getting mad at him for things completely  unrelated. I was starting to think that if I were with someone else, they would have remembered. So I finally addressed the issue, and then I knew that I needed to forgive him to move on. So, I started writing down the things that I love about him. The big things, all the way to the small things. After doing so, I started to see just how small this issue was, I was sweating the small stuff, and it was only hurting myself.

So be open with your spouse, and remember the things you love about them.

Just Breathe

I had never felt so overwhelmed as I did years ago, when starting my first cleaning company. I was 21 years old and I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do something great. The only catch was I was totally broke, living as a live-in nanny to have a roof over my head. I struggled to get very single client possible. I would clean huge 5 bedroom homes for $50.00  just to keep a steady amount of money coming in. My pride was far too big and the last thing I wanted to do was ask for help.  I woke up every morning with a weight on my shoulders that never let up, but I was excited to keep this business growing. The body aches from working so much, and the pain in my lungs from all the chemicals wouldn’t stop me from reaching my goals of success. At the time I was too scared to hire people to help me. I was scared financially, but mostly scared that my employees would lose these clients that I worked so hard to get. My head was spinning, trying to figure out what my next steps should be to make this company the company I wanted it to be. Finally one day I was driving in my car (where I do a lot of my thinking) and it all came to me so clearly. I just thought to myself, “Just breathe! I am fine, I am in good health. My family is in good health. Today is a beautiful day, and tomorrow will come to be just as beautiful.” This thought just hit me like a ton of bricks- but in a good way. It allowed me to lift the heavy weight off my shoulders and realize that even if things don’t work out as planned- ITS OK! With this new mindset, I was finally able to let my guard down and ask for help. I shifted my outlook on life and it was the best thing that happened to me. My issues were about building my first business, but this thought process works for any situation. Just relax and tell yourself, “Just breathe! I am fine, I am in good health. My family is in good health. Today is a beautiful day, and tomorrow will come to be just as beautiful” and truly believe it!