Should you sweat the small stuff or only worry about the big picture?

One popular phase you may have heard is “Don't sweat the small stuff.”, meaning don't worry about little things that aren't really that important. It can be a good piece of advice, but why is it that we sweat the small stuff in the first place?

The answer may be that we live in the small stuff, so that is why we are so focused on it. We are concerned with things that are close to us like ourselves, our home, our family, our neighborhood etc. When little things happen to us in our little bubble it seems like a big deal because we are only thinking about what is in our space.

It's hard to keep in mind that there is a lot more going on out there and there are more important issues going on outside of our space. To look at the bigger picture, you can think about how large the country is or how large the world is and then think about how the issue that is bothering you fits into the big picture. Often you may find that it is really not a big deal and may not really matter at all when you consider how small it is compared to everything else going on.

One phrase I came up with is “Remember the Universe.” It is a similar concept to “Don't sweat the small stuff.” It means, keep the big picture in mind and realize that the little things that we might think are so important at the time are really not a big deal when you realize how insignificant it is compared to the universe. The universe is huge, almost too big to comprehend. We think our planet is huge but in reality it is merely a spec of dust within the universe.

When you remember this scale, you realize that everything that is going on around us in our everyday life is not as big or important as it might seem.

So the question is, if we live within the small stuff, should we consider it to be important since that is what we live in? Even though the world is a much bigger place than most of us will ever experience, should we take it into consideration when thinking about what is going on locally?

Because we tend to live in a bubble, it is natural to sweat the small stuff because that is the stuff that affects us the most. In comparison to the big picture, these things may not be a big deal, but we don't live in the big picture, we live within the small stuff.

On the other hand, when little things around you are getting you down, it is a good idea to take a step back and consider their importance in the big picture. Often this can make you realize that the problem is not as significant as you thought it was.

Considering both perspectives, there is value to each. While it is ok to worry about the things that are close to us and affect us most, it is also a good idea to “remember the universe” and keep the big picture in mind.