Can you take circumstances if your life too serious? What about not taking them serious enough?
I just finished a season of playing softball. One of the leagues I play in is very low in competitiveness. You only get 3 pitches, and you pitch to your own team. Many people call this a “beer league”. In any case, it’s a good reason to have some fun with friends and play ball.
Every now and again you run up against someone that takes this fun league a little too seriously. It’s like this is as close as they’ll ever get to the majors and so they pretend like they are! A call doesn’t go their way and they get upset. They chirp the other team or their own team mates.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very competitive. There have been a few times I have been guilty of this myself.
This past week a player on the opposing team became very upset. He began yelling at the umps, our team and his own team. At the end of the game he even called someone on my team to fight. This guy clearly was taking the game way too serious.
It’s in moments like this I remind myself that we don’t need to take these small things too seriously, because in the end it doesn’t really matter.
In 30 years, I doubt I will remember this particular baseball game and I am sure that guy won’t either.
This story reminds me of my 1 year old, sometimes when we take a toy away from her or ask her to come into another room she will throw a full out temper tantrum. This is understandable from a 1 year old because of her natural emotional immaturity.
What about the situations that do matter? Do you actually take them serious enough?
Do you approach circumstances in life such as your career, family, eternity or finances like a slo-pitch game? Or do you pursue them with a deliberate and thoughtful mindset?
If you don’t, you won’t take them seriously and in return may not think thoroughly enough when making decisions. If this is so, you will feel a sense of emptiness and unfulfillment.
It is important that we spend our energy on what is important. Your energy is finite (you don’t have a never ending supply).
Don’t get to the end of your day, week or even your life and realize you spent too much of your energy on the things that didn’t really matter.
Spent your energy on what matters and what will give you the greatest return. Then you will build into your dreams and at the end of the day, week or your life will feel accomplished and fulfilled.
In all reality the only thing I do today that will matter in 30 years is what I invest in others and myself.
My family is what really matters. I would be foolish to trade that for any short term temporary gain or pleasure.
Take a quarter and look at it from across the room. It appears small. Now bring it closer so it’s right in front of your eyes. Now, it looks huge! We do that sometimes. We can easily become blinded in the moment by something so small and meaningless.
