I spent the weekend writing a story in my head about something at work. But when Monday came around, the work day proceeded as usual. It wasn’t even a thing. I had been working myself up for two days about something that no one else really cared about. It was a good lesson.
The stories we write in our head are usually far different than reality. Humans are amazing story tellers, but not great at staying grounded in what’s true right now. The longer we spend dwelling on something the more exaggerated it can become. And this can lead to huge let downs or lots of extra stress. But why put ourselves through that ?
I wrote a post about mistakes a couple days ago and the third lesson I’m learning is that it’s also important to let go. But letting go is so hard! It’s not as easy as saying “stop dwelling on this” or “don’t worry about it anymore.” Perhaps instead you can say something like “could your story be exaggerated?” or “do you think anyone else is losing sleep over this?” The answer could help you in letting go a little easier.
I love writing and telling stories. But it’s important to keep my high expectations in line with what’s really going on and what really matters. Letting go is a good first step.
