Will It Matter in Six Months?

Sometimes life becomes unbearably stressful. The arguments never end. The frustration never seems to leave you. You want to lose your temper, to do anything that will quiet your mind and the world around you. The helplessness swells to a point where you just want to break down and cry. When things grow overwhelmingly intense, ask yourself a simple question: will this matter in six months? Project yourself six months ahead and ask whether you would still be thinking about this day, or this argument. If the answer is no, cultivate the patience to endure the present. This moment isn't going to matter for long. But if the answer is yes, if the argument points to a deeper problem in your life and is bound to recur, then that's a sign you need to act. The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether a problem demands a deliberate solution or deliberate patience. Deploy patience when you must. But if patience isn't enough, shift your focus to solving the problem. That might mean cutting…

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