What's Important?

What is important to you today? Is it the same thing that was on your mind yesterday, or the day before? Probably not. As the circumstances of our lives change from day to day, the things that are important to us on a daily basis also change. The man who cut you off in traffic last week is now a distance thought, but at the moment, you may have been ready to commit murder. And that anger may have stayed with you for several hours or even days, depending on how many times you told the story.

So if it was important yesterday, but not today – was it really important at all? These types of issues have a way of grabbing our attention and diverting us away from the really important things occurring in our lives. For instance, lets say you were on your way to your sons soccer game when someone cut you off in traffic. This made you angry and becomes your current focus of attention and conversation. At the soccer game you re-tell the story to everyone you meet. Your attention is focused on the story – not on the game. Your attention has been diverted from enjoying the experience of your son playing soccer.

Next week will you remember the traffic incident as emotionally as you do today? Probably not. But, the real question is - will you remember the soccer game and the thrill of seeing your son playing?

To keep our life in balance, we must learn to focus on what is really important to us. In most cases this will be family and close friends, etc. When you sense yourself becoming angry or irritated about a current situation, just ask yourself how important this will be next week. If it is really important to you, then focus and give it your best. If it will not be important later on – let it go. Just let it go!

If you would cure anger, do not feed it. Say to yourself:
'I used to be angry every day;
then every other day;
now only every third or fourth day.'
When you reach thirty days offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the gods.
Epictetus (50 AD - 138 AD)