SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF: A DEADLY HABIT

 

Sweating the small stuff is synonymous to blowing things out of proportion and making mountains out of molehills. A lot of people have formed the habit of escalating things without knowing it has become a habit. They think and in turn act in a particular way repeatedly when faced with a situation. So any time a similar situation comes up, they do not have control over how they react because a pattern of thought and action has been registered in their subconscious mind which they must follow.

Just like a computer doesn’t need prayers to function but operates based on the programs installed in it, humans operate based on the habits they have formed. The good news is that we have the power to form and break habits. The habit of sweating the small stuff is a habit we must break for the following reasons:

1. SO WE CAN RESPOND INSTEAD OF REACT:

We were planning a program in church and a meeting was called to know how members are responding to payment of the levy stipulated for the program. The man whom it was his duty to collect the levy called me and said, “Why have you not paid?”  I was supposed to respond by saying, “I have paid!” But instead I reacted by saying, “what makes you think I have not paid?”  I can give you a lot of other instances like this one, because I have recognized this pattern and have started being conscious of it.

Why did I react instead of respond? Because of a thought and action pattern that has become a habit. Immediately he asked me the question, my system of thinking processed it that I was being attacked and my system of action reacted by becoming defensive.

Do a conscious check on your responses and if you realize they are not responses but reactions, start learning how to break the habit of blowing things out of proportion. When you succeed in breaking this deadly habit, also replace it with the habit of thought control. Click here to learn how.

“Human tendency is to make mountains out of molehills. Yet when we examine our problems…we realize it’s how we look at them…that really makes the difference.”

Timothy Pina

2. SO WE DO NOT SUFFER DISGRACE

Tacha and Erica were disgraced out of a TV reality show because they couldn’t stop blowing things out of proportion. Their inability to stop sweating the small stuff did not only remove them from the possibility of winning but also brought them shame.

No matter how we try to pretend about it, nobody feels good after blowing the lid off the box. That is why they always look for a story to control the damage. Acting crazy, shouting, arguing, and various forms of outburst will always end in shame and regret. We know all these things but we are still not able to stop because it has become a habit.

You do not have control anymore over your reactions because you have reacted in a particular way repeatedly over a long period of time that your mind doesn’t need to think anymore before it reacts. Click here to learn how.

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

PROVERBS 16:32

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.

Proverbs 14:29

3. SO WE DO NOT LOSE OUR PEACE

Doing things you are ashamed of will definitely make you lose your peace and making mountains out of molehills lead to shame when you eventually think about it; except you are not someone who thinks that much. Each time I shout at my children or at anybody in anger, I feel ashamed anytime I recount the story because I will realize it wasn’t actually a big deal. But why do I still find myself doing it? Because it has become a pattern from childhood, I was yelled at and I always yelled back.

I have realized that most of the things I shout about are things I can explain calmly. The problem is that I only remember that I was supposed to explain calmly after the deed has been done. The particular kind of situation that makes me shout has repeated itself over and over in the past and shouting has been my response, so my brain doesn’t consult me anymore before it springs to action. It is like when you are eating you do not need to think before you know where your mouth is; the hand will always put the food in the mouth even if your mind is not there.

The only solution to this is forming a habit of being calm and peaceful. Serenity is something we can practice if we make up our minds to fight living little. Get a copy of “HOW TO ENJOY PEACE.”


 

Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity. Thich Nhat Hanh

4. SO WE CAN CHOOSE OUR BATTLES WISELY

 If we learn how to choose our battles wisely, we will not use our energy to service frivolities. If I had channeled all the time I used to respond to things I should ignore into working on my dreams, they would have all turned into reality by now.

Are you always complaining about something, comparing what needs no comparison, and giving a thought to things that are not worth it? I am here to announce to you that you have sweated over little stuff, over payed with anger, anxiety, impatience, regrets, shame, loss of peace, mental and emotional strain. You have allowed things of no value to squander your life. Fight this deadly habit of making mountains out of molehills and change your life for better by learning to LET GO.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Reinhold Niebuhr

Nothing changes until until we make up our minds. If we must break the habit of making mountains out of molehills, we must make up our minds to form new habits. Watch the videos below to see some new habits that might help you.

-FORM THE HABIT OF GRATITUDE

-LEARN TO BE MINDFUL

-MAKE HUMILITY A HABIT

-EMBRACE GOD’S LOVE

-GIVE OTHERS THE GIFT OF LOVE

-CHECK YOUR THOUGHTS

Don’t forget to subscribe to Kaycee Bliss Channel on YouTube. Please drop your comments; we will love to get your feedback. Thank you and God bless you.

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