November 2026 Blog

Chewing hard candy or ice, or listening to someone chew their food (you know, the smackers). These were all triggers for me. I promise, not in a violent or angry way, but definitely enough to annoy me. Maybe a little more than annoyed. I’m not sure what the right adjective would be!

I don’t really know why these things bothered me so much, but I think it goes back to my childhood at the dinner table. Mom and Dad, a little help here? Now I’m wondering if either of you actually reads this blog!

OK, time to get to the point.

The other day, I found myself getting triggered by an employee eating. However, I had recently learned about a philosophy from Brian Johnson’s book, ARETE: Activate Your Heroic Potential, that made me look at the situation differently.

Think about it. A messy room or unwashed dishes can be triggers for many parents. But what if, instead of allowing those little annoyances to frustrate us, we turned them into reminders of how blessed we really are?

That’s exactly what I did that day, and WOW, what a difference it made! The situation didn’t have the same effect on me. Instead of immediately becoming annoyed, I shifted my perspective and reminded myself of how fortunate I am.

Chewing food might seem trivial, but what about the little things our loved ones do that get under our skin?

Think about someone you love leaving their dirty clothes on the floor. Instead of focusing on the frustration, try turning that annoyance into a different thought:

“I am so blessed to have this person in my life.”

See how that feels.

Remember, someday you may not have the blessing of their presence in your life. And I promise, you would take back every little annoyance in a heartbeat just to have them there again.