It is better to win control over
yourself than over whole cities.
—Proverbs 16:32
Name three things that irritate you.
I’ll go first:
Know-it-alls who do little but know what everyone else should do and how they should do it;
Interrupters who jump in with their two cents when I’m in mid-sentence;
Freeloaders who won’t work, but choose to live off the labor and largesse of others.
Your list may be different, like traffic jams, long lines, and lost cell phones.
We’ll never be free of irritations as long as we live on this planet. So we’d be wise to learn how to deal with them. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Calmly repeat: I can’t control circumstances. I’ll focus on what I can control, not on what I can’t.
Calmly repeat: I can’t control the behavior of others. That’s their responsibility, not mine. I’ll not let their action or inaction regulate my blood pressure.
Seize the day by acting on things you
can control and disregarding things you can’t.