Dont’ Sweat The Small Stuff

So the other day, I came to work only to be advised that I had to cover for one of my colleagues who reported sick in one of our office outlets. Having the OC behavior, it truly devastated me and ruined my mood. I was angry, I was upset and I was throwing a tantrum like a little kid – well ok, there was no wailing nor crying but it just made me very upset. Why? Because I hated that outlet. I call that outlet “hell” because it really is hell for me. I feel like I don’t belong there. My comfort zone is in my own personal desk in our head office and if I am not in my comfort zone or something is amiss, I don’t function very well. Is it just me or does it happen to some other people too? Anyway, I really have no other choice but to go there anyway so I took the first cab with a very heavy heart and in a really grumpy mood. My face probably showed how I am ready to kill anyone at the time because just as we were nearing our destination, the cab driver suddenly spoke to me and said: “Madam, don’t worry. It will be a great day.”

Those words were so powerful at that time, it may be a simple gesture from the cab driver but it really softened my heart. I mean, who the F*CK do I think I am???? I was being ridiculous, I was being selfish and I was being unreasonable to think that my whole world crumbled and that I had the right to be upset just because I was taken out of my comfort zone for a day. FOR A DAY!!!!! FOR A FREAKING DAY! That’s just awful! I realized how horrible and childish I was being, it’s not even funny. I mean, it was nothing! Nothing at all. I should be ashamed of myself for acting that way.

I am still more fortunate than the cab driver who probably was earning much less than I am and might be having more problems than I have and he was the one who comforted me, with a positive attitude. I was really ashamed of myself at that time and I wanted to slap and kick myself over and over again just to bring me back to my senses because clearly, I wasn’t thinking right. The cab driver, assuming that I was upset because of work, told me that he understands me because I am working with customers (I was of course wearing my uniform which is the reason why he knows that I am in the customer service industry) and he too, is doing the same thing. He told me it’s the hardest job to have, to deal with customers but that everything will be fine in the end. While he was saying all these things, I was feeling more and more ashamed of myself, because it wasn’t even about a customer why I was upset – it was about transferring to another outlet, a very stupid reason. I have never felt so small and ashamed in my life than that day.

The small talk the cab driver did made a big impact on myself. It’s no longer about that stupid reason of transferring to another outlet, it’s about life in general. It may sound like a cliche but I realized that I really need to learn not to sweat the small stuff. It’s very easy to say but quite hard to practice, specially if you’re like me who is a selfish little brat. I need to learn how to be unselfish and how to take everything in a positive way. I need to learn not to stress myself too much. I need to change. NOW.

I gave the cab driver a 25% tip which is probably the cheapest fee anyone can pay to a shrink or a life coach seminar. LOL. Just as he wished me a good day (yet again), I wished him well too and I meant it. It wasn’t just a response that I gave him but a real concern towards a total stranger who I will probably always think about whenever I feel like life’s being unfair. Too bad I wasn’t able to get his name.