Name: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff . . . and It’s All Small Stuff
Rating: 4.4 (126 reviews)
Author: Richard Carlson

What’s in it for me? Learn how to keep calm and get things done.

Keeping up with the modern world is not an easy thing to do. There are always tasks to do, information to analyze, people to meet. How can we possibly get everything done? Surely we need to concentrate on speed, and work quickly to fit everything in.

Nope. If we want to lead our most fulfilled lives, we need to start slowing down, not speeding up. The key to getting the most out of life is to disengage from the crazy, fast-paced modern world and take a more considered, mindful path. These blinks will tell you all you need to know.

In these blinks you’ll discover

why the past and the future do not matter;
what the small stuff is and how not to sweat it; and
why you should smile at the mailman.

If you want to reach your goals, stay relaxed and be true to yourself.

What attitude do you need if you want to get the most out of life?

Most people think we have to give up relaxation and happiness if we really want to achieve our goals. We need to concentrate, have a competitive attitude and live a disciplined life of hard work.

Is this correct? Actually, no. Constantly working yourself into a stressed-out state will only leave you fatigued and unhappy. You won’t get any closer to your goals – you’ll just run yourself into the ground.

If you want to truly realize your dreams, it’s much better to have a relaxed and contemplative approach to life. When you do, it’s actually much easier to get things done. But how do you start?

Start by relaxing whenever you can. You might think you should only relax on holidays or the weekend, but that’s not true. You should always be able to take a break after you’ve been working too hard.

Another way you can enjoy a relaxing, contemplative outlook is to act bored. Seriously! Try and make yourself bored on purpose. It might be frustrating in the beginning but you’ll eventually come to enjoy the freedom and peace it brings.

If you want to lead a more relaxed life, you have to stop living for other people and follow your own will. We often work ourselves into unhappiness because we’re trying to please others. Stop doing what you think other people want from you – it’ll only stress you out.

It’s impossible to please everyone all the time. It’s much healthier to be true to yourself and your own goals.

So take a step back. Remind yourself that your life isn’t an emergency.

If you’re determined to always be right, you’ll destroy your relationships and happiness.

Most people want to look important, so they push themselves to do things that’ll be well perceived. We create a lot of problems for ourselves when we do this.

It’s natural to want to be in the spotlight. We want to speak our minds and impress people. Unfortunately, this can be very harmful to our relationships.

Think positively and view your problems as learning opportunities.

Your entire life is a reflection of your thoughts. So make sure you think positively!

Your thoughts create your reality. It’s very important to be aware of that. You don’t just observe your thinking – you live it out. Fortunately, you have the power to control what’s happening in your mind.

Live in the present moment.

People are nervous and anxious far too often. We forget to take a deep breath and enjoy the only moment we really have: now!

If you want peace of mind, it’s essential to live in the moment. We tend to dwell on problems from the past and worry about the future so much that we end up frustrated, depressed and anxious.

Make peace with yourself and your life.

We live in a very fast-paced world. Everything needs to be done right now and it needs to be done perfectly. This constant rush puts a lot of pressure on us, even as we go through the most basic tasks in our daily lives.

You may think you can bring out your best by being a perfectionist. That will never work. If you strive to be perfect, you’ll only end up focusing on your flaws.

Key ideas in Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff . . . and It’s All Small Stuff