original story by David J. Pollay

"Here, have some of mine!"

How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood?  Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day?  Unless you’re on a lot of drugs, you’re probably set back on your heels…or ready to fight.  However, the key to your serenity in life is how quickly you can refocus on what’s really important to you.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson.  And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened…

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station.  We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.  My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, the car skidded, the tires squealed, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch from the other car’s back-end.

I couldn’t believe it.  But then I couldn’t believe what happened next even more.  The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started cussing at us.  He even threw in a one finger salute!  I couldn’t believe it!

But here’s what really blew me away.  My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.  And I mean, he was actually friendly!  So, I asked him, “Why did you just do that!?  This guy could have killed us!”  And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck™.”  He said:

Many people are like garbage trucks.  They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and disappointment.  As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it.  And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you.

So when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally.  Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.  Believe me.  You’ll be happier.

So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me?  And how often do I take their garbage and spread it around to other people at work, at home, or on the street?  It was right then that I said, “I don’t want their garbage, and I’m not going to spread mine anymore.”

I began to see Garbage Trucks.  You know, like in the movie “The Sixth Sense,” when the little boy said, “I see Dead People.”  Well now “I see Garbage Trucks.”  I see the load they’re carrying.  I see them coming to dump it.  And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time was Walter Payton.  Every day on the football field, after being tackled, he would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground.  He never dwelled on a hit.  Payton was ready to make the next play his best.  Over the years the best players from around the world in every sport have played this way:  Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, and Pele are just some of those players.  And the most inspiring leaders have lived this way:  Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Ghandi, and Martin Luther King.

The best leaders know that they have to be ready for their next meeting.  The best sales people know that they have to be ready for their next client.  And the best parents know that they have to be ready to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses, no matter how many garbage trucks they might have faced that day.  All of us know that we have to be fully present, and at our best for the people we care about.

Roy Baumeister, a psychology researcher from the University of Florida, found in his extensive research that you actually remember bad things that happen in your life more often than good things.  You actually store the bad memories more easily, and you recall them more frequently.

The bottom line is that  when you follow The Law of the Garbage Truck™ you take back control of your life. So, what about you?  What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?  Here’s my bet:  You’ll probably be a lot happier.