Enough! Overcoming Little Annoyances Wearing You Out

 

"It isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out--

It's the grain of sand in your shoe."

Robert William Service, Scottish Poet 1874-1958

 What's Wearing on You?

 What is the grain of sand in your shoe wearing you out—that annoyance present in the back of your mind wearing you down? What's grating on you today?

 Perhaps

•  You're waiting for the other shoe to drop at work;
•  You can't seem to get the landlord to fix that hole in your ceiling and the rain is leaking through;
• You have a good paying job—but the daily work is soul-killing;
• You landed a job—but you still don't have childcare.
• You finally retired--but you don't know what to do with your time.

 

Little Annoyances Affect Life Satisfaction

 No matter how good our lives are, we all face trials in our daily lives that can wear us down. Truth is even if our lives are excellent overall, we still measure our life satisfaction by the least satisfying parts—i.e. those grains of sand.

 

 Don't Ignore Your Grain of Sand, Acknowledge it

We all face difficult decisions as we move through life. When faced with the difficulty of choosing between two less-than-optimum options, too often we freeze and make no decision at all--and this unresolved dilemma goes underground and begins to wear on us like the grains of sand in our walking shoes.

The problem with those annoying grains of sand is rather than choosing to pause to remove them we attempt to ignore them. But without acknowledging and embracing them we'll never find relief.

  

 Choose to Create a Pearl instead of a Daily Grind

 Rather than allowing your grain of sand to wear you down, let it build you up. 

In a clam, that grain of sand has the potential of creating a pearl. You too have the possibility of creating something exquisite and beautiful in your life when you stop to to pay attention to what's working and what's not. 

Those grains of sand are irritating and annoying—but they make us pay attention. 

Stop ignoring the irritation in your life, acknowledge and embrace it. Choose to reach through the current irritation to create a better life.

 

 Four Steps to Turn SAND into Your Pearl

 

 1. Acknowledge and embrace the Irritation. Let yourself become aware and fully conscious of what's grating on you. Name it. Sit in it.

 

2. Keep on Walking. Do nothing. Let the irritation grow your awareness to produce your life pearl.

 

3. Stop. When you're ready--take off your shoes and shake it off. Choose your next action.

 

4. Start A New Direction--Take a step—any step—away from your irritant towards creating a better life NOW.

 

 Start

 

A

 

New

 

Direction

 

 What's Your PEARL?

 

What PEARL can you create out of your grains of sand? Play with the letters in PEARL to create a positive picture of what you want to create out of your grain of sand.

 

Possibilities, Enthusiasm, Acceptance, Relationships, Love

 

Playful, Enjoyable, Action-oriented, Reliable, Loyal 

 

Pain-free, Ease, Action-oriented, Relief-creating, Laughter

 "Each morning we are born again. 

What we do today is what matters most."

 The Buddha