My mother had a saying “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill”. This was also a saying she lived her life by…
As a woman who grappled with the effects of grand-mal epilepsy and the antiquated medication she took into her body to keep her alive…that later took it’s toll on her mind and body. To the mammoth stroke she had in her 40’s, battling-through financial hardships and eventually tending-to her husband ravaged by Parkinson’s, she was the epitome of strength. You see, my mother didn’t turn mountains into molehills, she didn’t sweat the small stuff in life; instead she just got-on with it.
Coming onto existence in the 16th century, I believe this idiom is still relevant today.
As humans we are adept at creating drama where there need not be any…
- Within the blink of an eye we can transform something into a catastrophe purely based on a snippet of a conversation we overheard.
- We can imagine that someone doesn’t agree with us purely based-on a look or a shift in body positioning.
- We can take exception to not being included in something, thinking it is a slight on our ability or ‘fit’.
- We can go into a tail-spin if we don’t receive a response from someone within our own unspoken timeframe.
…And the list goes on…
Where are you jumping to conclusions, making assumptions or making mountains out of molehills within your work context or life? How is that going for you?
Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a drama-free work-place and life…???
… One where you are able to ask the question, rather than jump to conclusions.
… One where you were aware of the underlying need that drives your urge to create drama and meet it in other, more productive ways.
… One that sees you taking a breath before reacting, so you can get perspective on the situation.
So where are you creating drama in your work or life?
Who are you affecting by this?
What needs are you trying to meet that could be met by more productive and loving means?
Where are you turning mountains into molehills?
Isn’t it time you stopped?