Perspective

You THINK you have problems, then your Dad goes in the hospital. You THINK you're tired, then you pull a couple of all-nighters. You THINK you have a disagreement with someone and then a much bigger issue happens and you realize it was more about preferences than actual meaningful differences.

Big deals always seem big until Goliath disquiet calls you to battle and you realize just how small your problems used to be.

Life is too short to make big problems out of things that are really not.

And when you spend all your time making small problems into big ones with big, overblown Super Freak moments, how do you get the attention of people in your life when something really epic comes along.

When you sing or podcast or perform, you're taught to be quiet at some points, so that you have the contrast of something to be louder. You can't have forte without a real pianissimo. You can't have a loud outburst without a quiet moment to contrast it with. And, likewise, it is helpful and healthy to live life with perspective and margin. Every problem isn't epic. Every problem isn't even a problem.

Sometimes as I work with children who live in perpetual cataclysmic calamity, I wonder how they will be equipped for life when these problems which pale in comparison to the Technicolor trauma of later life are rocking their world to the core. Of course, sometimes as we grow, our problems grow.

However, in real life, there's a big difference between imaginary reality-show pseudo-drama and the real stuff that leaves us crying at 2 am and on our knees in the wee hours of the morning seeking strength and wisdom for the day.

Life has problems. However, those who are excellence take problems, deal with them and don't have a perpetual need to manufacture magnificent messes out of minimal mites.

Some problems aren't problems at all. I think that keeping perspective about what ails you helps you live a healthier and happier life.