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The Garbage Truck
How often do you let other people change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude
waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day?
Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set
back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly
she/he can get back her/his focus on what's important.
Five years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a taxi cab in Denver .
Here's what happened:
I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport . We were driving in the
right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in
front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the
other car by just inches!
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started
yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean,
he was really friendly.
So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car
and sent us to the hospital!"
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the
Garbage Truck."
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run
around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of
disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and
sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave,
wish them well, and mo ve on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other
people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage
trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with
regrets, so....
"Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who
don't."