That being said, should you allow one person -- whether your obnoxious boss, an annoying neighbor, or the maniac who cut you off while driving to work this morning -- to sabotage your day? Of course not.
In the grand scheme of life, the kinds of things we bicker and complain about are insignificant.
Taking on this attitude is easier said than done in a tense, emotionally-charged situation where someone really tests your patience.
For example, let's pretend someone cuts you off on your way to work, nearly hitting the brand new car you've worked your behind off to afford. While you're both at a red light, the driver of the other car gets out of his vehicle and exhorts you -- in an expletive-laden rant -- to learn how to drive, even though he was the one who failed to observe the rules of the road.
And just when you didn't think it could get any worse, you realize while pulling into the parking garage that you have a flat tire. The road rage incident causes you to arrive to work late, setting your irritable boss off.
On days like this, it can be really difficult to keep our composure and dismiss such events as insignificant. We might even take it out on unsuspecting friends or family members who just happen to cross our path at the worst possible time.
But we must keep things in perspective and continually remind ourselves that these situations -- and our lives in general -- could be far worse.
After you've taken a deep breath and calmed down, immediately think of things, events, and people in your life that you're grateful for. Such thoughts should eclipse the negative one(s) resulting from the bad experience.
Don't let someone who hold so much sway over you, especially if you don't even know them. Think about it: In cases like that of the reckless driver described above, you may never see that individual again in your life, so why let them ruin an otherwise satisfactory day?
Keep your head up. Find reasons to enjoy your day rather than feel frustrated by it. For every bad thing that happens on a given day, surely there are at least two or three good things we can smile about. The key is to strive toward keeping our emotions in check.
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