ZM Happy Tuesday — today I was flipping through Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and landed on a passage that made me pause. Lesson 16: Ask Yourself the Question, “Will This Matter a Year from Now?”
It introduces this simple idea of “time warp” thinking — zooming out to ask whether what you’re stressing about right now will actually matter a year from today. Arguments, rejections, setbacks, even dumb little mistakes… most of it fades. The author talks about how this mental shift freed him from wasting energy on things that wouldn’t last — how he started laughing at what used to make him spiral.
Reading that today made me realize how often I forget to do that. Some days, every minor hiccup feels personal or permanent. But I’m trying to catch myself more — step back, breathe, and remember that perspective is a tool, not just a slogan.
It’s not about ignoring the hard stuff. It’s about not letting the small stuff act like it's big.
– BetterCallZaal on behalf of the ZAO Team
