Putting Things in Perspective
By Richard Carlson, Guest Author
My good friend Patti recently shared this bit of wisdom with me that she learned from one of her favorite authors. It has added a great deal of perspective to my life.
In the scheme of things, 100 years isn’t all that long a time. However, one thing’s for sure: A hundred years from now we will all be gone from this planet. And when kept in mind, this idea can fill us with needed perspective during times of perceived crisis or stress.
If you have a flat tire or lock yourself out of your house, what’s it going to mean 100 years from now? How about if someone acted unkindly toward you or if you had to stay up most of the night working? What if your house didn’t get cleaned or your computer breaks down? Suppose you can’t afford to go on a much needed vacation, buy a new car, or move to a larger home. All of these things and most others are brought into a deeper perspective when looked at with a hundred-year view.
Just this morning I found myself at a mental fork in the road, about to get uptight about a crisis at work. There was a double booking and two people showed up at the same time for the same appointment. What saved me from getting overly stressed and too uptight was remembering that 100 years from now, no one will remember this moment, and no one will care. I calmly took responsibility for the error and one of the people was happy to reschedule. As usual, this was “small stuff” that could easily have been turned into “big stuff.
Copyright © 2012 – Richard Carlson. Reprinted with permission.