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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Liz Sterling

Hello friends,

Yesterday's Wisdom Circle was very moving. I closed with a song --- and the link is at the bottom of this blog. We had a nice joyful cry together. Let Us All Pray for Peace on Earth!


Notes From Class


In his book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Richard Carlson provides many ways of making life less stressful & more peaceful. He advises us to overcome negative thoughts, trust our intuition, love other people, and be of service.


I've highlighted various traits that may cause you to experience pain and suffering.

Read through and see what feels like your issue. Then go to the RX's that I provide for relief!


“Make peace with imperfection.


“Whenever we are attached to having something a certain way, better than it already is, we are almost by definition, engaged in a losing battle.”

“A wonderful, heartfelt strategy for becoming more peaceful and loving is to practice allowing others the joy of being right – give them the glory. Stop correcting.”

“When you are fearful or frantic, you literally immobilize yourself from your greatest potential, not to mention enjoyment.”

“A powerful technique for becoming more peaceful is to be aware of how quickly your negative and insecure thinking can spiral out of control.”

“Argue for your limitations, and they’re yours.”


“Just for fun, agree with criticism directed toward you.

(Then watch it go away).”


“The more patient you are, the more accepting you will be of what is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as you would like it to be.”


“One of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself is “Do I want to be ‘right’ – or do I want to be happy.”

“One of the nice things about surrendering to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have.”

So many people spend so much time of their life energy, ‘sweating the small stuff’ that they completely lose touch with the magic and beauty of life.’

‘Gently remind yourself that life is okay the way it is, right now. In the absence of judgment, everything would be fine.’

‘The need for perfection and the desire for inner tranquillity conflict with each other.’

“When we have preconceived ideas about the way life should be, they interfere with our opportunity to enjoy or learn from the present moment.”

‘Whenever we hold on to anger, we turn ‘small stuff’ into really ‘big stuff’ in our minds. We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness. They are not.’

‘The root of being uptight is our unwillingness to accept life as being different, in any way, from our expectations.

‘Criticism, like swearing, is actually nothing more than a bad habit.’

‘In terms of personal happiness, you cannot be peaceful while at the same time blaming others.

Surely, there are times when other people and/or circumstances contribute to our problems. But it is we who must rise to the occasion and take responsibility for our own happiness.’

RX for Peace, Acceptance and Happiness

“True happiness comes not when we get rid of all of our problems, but when we change our relationship to them, when we see our problems as a potential source of awakening, opportunities to practice patience, and to learn.”

“When you look at life and its many challenges as a test, or series of tests, you begin to see each issue you face as an opportunity to grow, a chance to roll with the punches.”

“Think of your problems as potential teachers.

“Be grateful when you’re feeling good and graceful when you’re feeling bad.”

“Spend a moment every day thinking of someone to thank.”

“I can’t think of a single person whom I consider to be inwardly peaceful who doesn’t carve out at least a little quiet time, virtually every day.”


“Luckily, there is a way to be happy. It involves changing the emphasis of our thinking from what we want to what we have.”

‘A more peaceful way to live is to decide consciously which battles are worth fighting and which are better left alone.’

‘When someone acts in a way that seems strange to you, rather than reacting in your usual way, such as, ‘I can’t believe they would do that,’ instead, say something to yourself like “I see, that must be the way she sees things in her world.’

‘Life is a process – just one thing after another. When you lose it, just start again.’

“When our attention is in the present moment, we push fear from our minds.”

“Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.”


Let Us All Pray for Peace on Earth!



Liz Sterling

Wisdom Circle

JCC Sandler Center

Boca Raton, FL

October 28, 2020



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