Let me ask you a question about yourself. How many times have you been aggravated lately? And what or who aggravates you the most? Now, I am sure at this point you have many people and things going through your mind, and maybe this question has even aggravated you as you think of those people and things. The purpose of this column is to get you to think about things like this and help you make some changes that help you stay cool, calm, and collected.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #189, the Women of Power Issue, in July/August of 2024.]
I have a guy at work who loves to read into everything. As he does this, he continues to get aggravated, almost creating his own story line of events. We all can and probably have done this. What a powerful game the mind can play on you!
“He said, she said, I heard, did you hear?” These statements get followed by mostly gossip and possible lies. The problem is that we tend to be drawn into these fishing line tactics. You throw your fishing line in the water and just wait for the bite to come. This is what many people are doing – throwing out the line and waiting for you to bite! The problem is most of us take the bite. If a fish actually knew there was a hook in the worm, I don’t think it would bite. We have to be smarter about what gets us hooked and stay away from those people, places, and things. This also includes internet comments you don’t like. If you respond, it keeps going, but if you don’t, it dies out.
One time I witnessed a man yelling at another man. The man yelling was completely wrong about what he was saying, yet the other man remained calm and just walked away. When I asked why he didn’t let that guy have it, he said, “A bear can whoop a skunk every day of the week, but sometimes it’s just not worth the stink.” What a great statement. Many of us get all worked up over nothing and then stink the rest of the day because we allowed something, mostly stupid, to ruin our day.
Most things we get all worked up about really aren’t worth it. Only you can decide what you will do or how you will react. The aftermath of a blowout always has someone blaming someone else for their actions and not wanting to take responsibility for those actions. We see it in little kids and full-grown adults. So, the next time someone or something pushes your buttons, ask yourself if it’s going to be worth losing your peace over. As always, the choice is yours to make!
This story was originally published on July 25, 2024. 
