Father Knows Best

One of my dad's most repeated pieces of advice when Ryan and I were growing up was, "Worry about yourself."  It was his way of reminding us to mind our own business and not to make comparisons between our situation and our perception of other people's situations.  Ryan and I discussed "worry about yourself" recently when the phrase popped into his head.  I told Ryan that I think about our dad's advice frequently.  Whenever I start to get ticked off about something that is none of my business, I try to remember to worry about myself.  My dad is a very even-keeled person and I think that is in part because he is not constantly getting fired up about petty issues.  "Worry about yourself" is my mantra for attempting to manage anger and jealousy.  Whenever I am consumed by the THAT IS SO UNFAIR-ness of a situation, I try to worry about myself.  It helps me to avoid being consumed with envy when a coworker manages to finesse an advantageous work schedule or to avoid blowing my stack when a person claims a seat for his backpack on a crowded train.  I have been trying to practice what my dad preaches for years and it is still a work in progress.  Check out how youthful and relaxed the master himself is: