chapters 1-9.

i've gotten pretty far in my reading of Don't Sweat The Small Stuff over the past two days. i've read 9 chapters and i've gotten a lot out of them.

1. Don't Sweat The Small Stuff well, duh this would be the first chapter since its the title of the book. one thing in this chapter that really stood out to me was when he pointed out that so many ppl spend so much of their life energy "sweating the small stuff" that they completely lose touch with the magic and beauty of life. enough said.
2. Make Peace with Imperfection highlight of the chapter: "rather than being content and grateful for what we have, we are focused on what's wrong with something and our need to fix it." what i take from this is that there is NO NEED to be perfect. and this makes me think about the definition of perfect. it varies from person to person even though perfection can never be fully achieved. FOCUSING ON IMPERFECTION PULLS US AWAY FROM OUR GOAL OF BEING KIND AND GENTLE. wooohsahhh. the solution to this is to catch yourself when you fall into the habit of insisting that things should be other than they are. relax and go with the flow.
3. Let Go of the Idea that Gentle, Relaxed People can't be Superachievers blah. this section didn't have much meaning to me.
4. Be Aware of the Snowball effect of Your Thinking teaching yourself how to control how quickly your negative and insecure thinking can spiral out of control is a key element in retaining peace within yourself. i know many times if i'm unsure of something, i become a little pessimist, and start to think that everything and all of mankind is failing. but now i know that this can be controlled by worrying only about what needs to be worried about. focus on the problem at hand, if any. and if there isn't a problem, don't make one.
5. Develop Your Compassion when i first looked at the title i was like blahhh blahh BS. yeah the world loves compassionate people, but I worry about myself. but from this chapter i've learned that compassion involves two things: INTENTION and ACTION. intentionally open your heart to others and expand your range of what and who matters. The action portion is simply what you do about it. compassion develops your sense of gratitude. when you take time to reflect on the miracle of life, it reminds you that many of the things you see as big stuff is simply small stuff that you turn into big things.
6. Remind Yourself that When You Die, Your "In Basket" Won't Be Empty
7. Don't Interrupt Others or Finish Their Sentences
8. Do Something Nice for Someone Else- and Don't Tell Anyone About It