Overreact Much?

I often overreact and I shouldn't. It's one of those things where something really irks you at the time and when you look back on it you see just how small and petty it really is.


Recently, I figured I'd try this instead: As soon as something annoys me to a point where I might transform it from a molehill into a towering mountain, I'd jump the whole 'looking in hindsight' thing and go straight to figuring out how much of an effect that one, little, teeny, tiny thing, conversation, person or opinion had on my life. It worked wonders.

For example, Bob comes into the gym and bench presses with miserable form. He packs on a lot of weight and then performs the shallowest of reps, barely bending his elbows at all. I've told Bob a thousand times to go deeper and do a full rep through a full range of motion so that he will have healthy joints that are balanced and strong and he will live a life free of injury. However, Bob has probably realised that if he does this, he wont be able to lift as much weight. If he can't lift as much weight, he wont be getting the self-esteem hit he normally does, or he wont be impressing the girls he normally does, or something else- so he doesn't do it.

For a while, this really bothered me. I'm of the philosophy (or at least I like to think I am, I'm probably not, we're all imperfect) that if you're going to do something you should do it properly. Why would Bob continue to do something counterproductive to his goals?

Then I realised. Bob will do what Bob wants and I don't need to overreact to that. In fact, I don't need to react at all. There's a wise old quote that is simple and eloquent: "Act, don't react." 

Bob still comes in to bench press and still does the same thing, now I just smile and get back to my own thing. I act on my goals and it's made me a much happier gym patron.

Act. Don't react.