If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart."
~ Socrates
When I'm having a crappy day, feeling sorry for myself or just feeling jilted by the way the ball bounced, this is the quote that comes to mind. For me, it puts everything into perspective.
Let me be clear...I have issues. But guess what? So do you. So do your employees. So does your boss. So do your customers.
We've all got issues.
We all have baggage that we're carrying around day in and day out. At times I think we forget that nobody has this "life thing" all figured out. Not one of us is immune to calamity, drama or misfortune in our lives. Some people have more and some people have less. Some handle it well and some never had a handle on it at all.
I don't know what kind of crap you've got going on in your life, but I can't assume that it's more trivial than what I'm dealing with in my life. Is it different? Sure. Is it less important? I seriously doubt it.
So here's the deal. The next time I choose to make assumptions, whine about my station in life or throw proverbial stones, I'm gonna think about this quote and do my best to exercise a little more grace and patience.
Who wants to join me?