When I was younger it is safe to say I overreacted a lot. It is also safe to say I might have been a bit stubborn at times, but I am still stubborn at times. With these two combined I would cry over split milk. It was a difficult process but I eventually learned to not sweat the small stuff in life because life is too short to worry about what happened in the past, what will happen in the future, and the most important thing I learned while going through this process was not to worry about what others thought of me.  

My past is not a pretty one. Many people go through life and can look back on their childhood and wish they could go back without any bills or responsibilities. Well, I am the opposite. Sure, the bills, the piled-up laundry, and dishes taking care of the children and spouse, cooking and doing errands can get overwhelming but it is exactly where I want to be.  

Learning to not worry about what happened in my past took me a while to overcome. It took close to 2 years of not speaking to my mom, finding the perfect man for me, and finishing school to realize life is too short. I learned to forgive but not to forget the past. Let the past be the past but do not allow the past to become your future. You cannot change what has happened you can only prevent it from happening again. However, part of this process is forgiving. Once you forgive a person because you truly do not care anymore then a whole world of possibilities will be brought in front of you.  

While we can kind of control the future, there is no point in sitting around worrying about it. Again, life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Try your best in everything you do and things will work to your benefit. I cannot say that I have completely concurred this one yet because it is a hard one to concur but I have most definitely improved. I just live for the here and now. I do not try to jump to what plans I have tomorrow until tomorrow arrives because the reality is that test you go for, either is going to turn out good, mediocre, or bad. Be ready for the worst so when the worst comes you are prepared.  

The single most important part of learning not to sweat the small stuff is to not care so much about what others think of you. Boy oh boy has this one taken me a while to learn. My best advice on learning how to concur this one is to move away from your family and friends to find yourself. Now I do not mean you have to move across the country, it can be just an hour away. 

Let me tell you why I suggest moving away from your family and friends. Your family and friends can actually be dragging you down and you not even realizing it. Even if you think you are self-sufficient, you should move away from them to see just how self-sufficient you truly are, it might actually surprise you how you are not as self-sufficient as you might think you are.   

Moving away from your family and friends allows you to find who you truly are and this is the most important life lesson you will have to learn. Being yourself and not caring so much about what others think of you is so important in life because people are going to make you upset and they are not always going to like your views but you choosing not to conform to their ideas is you being you. So, do not sweat the small stuff and just be you.  

You know that saying “sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never harm me”? Learning this is a good way to not sweat the small stuff. Do not allow other people’s words to define who you are or even allow them to affect your day. Let them say what they need to say and move on with your day. Truly it makes all the difference in the world when you do not have to be involved in every life argument.  

So, how did I learn my lesson? Well, I got into this huge discussion with my uncle about how he needed to help take care of his parents that he cares so much about. Anyway, after that, I started seeing my dad and grandparents for what they were. I love them but boy oh boy can they drag you down. 

I moved away from my family and friends after the year I graduated from college, got married, and had my first child. Believe me, my life spun so fast around me in one year it was unbelievable. Anyway, moving from a small town feel to a big city was a game-changer and in the big city, there is no room for your feelings to be hurt. You go with the punches and give it right back. In other words, you stand up for yourself and your views. Shortly after moving to the big city we moved to an area that is more of a slow lifestyle but still has the city life around it and we had our second child.  

Having my family and moving to the city helped me to realize that life is too short to sweat the small stuff. That I need to be grateful for the here and now and not dwell on the past or future. You cannot change the past and you cannot predict the future. Life lesson, move away and find yourself and it will allow you to learn not to sweat the small stuff in life and be more laid back.

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