Thought for Today

“I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and
90 % how I react to it.”
-Charles Swindell

 

During the early 1990’s I was the operations manager for a large industrial tire distributor. I was having a particularly bad day and my boss Robert having sensed this, (I think my temper tantrum was a dead giveaway) called me into his office. Robert asked me two questions; he said, “#1 are you going to die from it?” I said, “Excuse me.” He said, “this thing that has you so upset, is it going to kill you? And question #2 is it going to affect your family?”

“Well” I said, “No It’s not.” “Then why are you letting it boil your blood?” he asked.” He turned and pointed to a rather large bottle of antacids on a shelf behind his desk. “I used to consume a bottle of those antacids a month.” He replied. “Until I learned that there are some things that are not worth getting upset about. Now go back to work and take care of this issue with a different mindset.” I never forgot that lesson and coming from a boss who is six years younger than I am.