I hopped in a taxi and we took off for Indianapolis Airport. 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 breaks, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident,
whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi
driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And, I mean, he was friendly.
So, I said, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car
and sent us to the hospital!’ And this is when my taxi driver told me
what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’
“Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage,
full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their
garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them,
they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it
personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You’ll
be happy you did.”
So this was it: The ‘Law of the
Garbage Truck.’ 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
to other people: at work, at home, on the streets?
It was that day I said, ‘I’m not going to do it anymore.’
I began to see garbage trucks. Like in the movie ‘The Sixth Sense,’ 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 drop it off. And
like my taxi driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile,
wave, wish them well, and I move on.
Good leaders know they have
to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to
welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders
and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best,
for the people they care about.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day.
—- Author Unknown
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