So this morning as I was headed to the gym for my 5:30am workout, I somehow managed to lose my earbuds during the walk from my car to the gym (as I was taking a selfie for my workout accountability group). I spent the next 5-10 minutes retracing my steps, getting frustrated at the fact that I may have just lost my $20 apple ear buds.
A couple weeks prior, I had to replace my $10 gym lock that I absentmindedly left in the men’s locker room. Needless to say, I was ticked that I can’t seem to stop wasting money on things I lose.
After giving up the search, I realized that I was getting worked up over something so small. Yes, $20 can buy a lot of things like a all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ or 2 admission tickets to a new release movie in theaters. And I’m not a rich person, but I’m also not so financially insecure where replacing lost earphones would mean I couldn’t eat for the next few days.
My point: why was I letting something so trivial get me down?
In the book “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind,” T. Harv Eker makes a comparison about the mentalities “rich” people versus “poor” people. He says that poor people are smaller than their problems, whereas rich people are bigger than their problems.
This is how I interpret it: if I let something small get me down, then I’m a small person. Small problems don’t affect big people, only big problems.
As one part of my daily habits, I recite what’s called a “commercial affirmation” to myself. Its pretty self-explanatory, but it’s basically a paragraph of affirmations written in the third person about the person I want to become in the future. Or as a mentor of mine says, my “higher self.” I do this once a day, usually in the mornings before my commute to work.
When something small like losing my earphones gets me worked up, I think: would my higher self, the multi-millionaire entrepreneur, international speaker, and bestselling author be phased by this?
The answer is always a resounding “Nope.”
If the size of the problems determines the size of the person, how “big” of a person are you? What’s getting you down that you know isn’t worth your time, energy, or attention?
I’ve always been taught that mindset is where it all begins. When you can control how you think, you can control your reality.
Event + Response = Outcome.
But that’s a whole topic in itself, haha. As of now, I have a new lock, 2 sets of earphones (a backup in case I lose mine again), and I haven’t even given it a second thought.
Marlo Yonocruz 