Have you ever been really frustrated by another driver in traffic. Perhaps that driver did something really dumb, or dangerous; it may have been intentional but perhaps they didn’t even realize it. Did you yell at them, punch your steering wheel, ride up on their rear-end just to prove your point, maybe you even flipped them off?

Chances are the other driver did not even notice the infraction or your reaction. But what did it do to your energy levels? Did you seethe for the next hour? Did you tell the first person you saw what an idiot the other driver had been and rant just because you could? Perhaps you even snarked at someone else, a completely innocent someone else just because your blood was still boiling and you had to let off steam.

So who suffered the most by your reaction to an incident that you had no control over except for your correction in driving. My opinion is YOU. You had raised blood pressure for some time, you exhibited agitation towards completely innocent people, and you certainly expended a lot of energy in negativity. And when you think about it, you don’t know what was happening in the other driver’s life to cause the original behaviour. Yes, maybe they were driving irresponsibly, but you don’t know that. Perhaps they were reacting to something you did not see. Perhaps they were running late for an important meeting. Perhaps they had just found out their child had been rushed to hospital and they were panic-stricken. You just don’t know.

Many of us on-line are involved in a variety of on-line things. With any luck, our incomes come from a variety of sources and we are not dependent on any one source for our livelihood. With any luck.

Recently a multi-million dollar business came under investigation. Yay, we all said, as it was a new concept and it would be good to work all the legal kinks out earlier than later. A civil investigation soon became a national probe and the repercussions were felt globally. Within minutes the internet and phone lines and backyard fences were bouncing with the news and, needless to say, for every person affected there was an opinion voiced. Has it hurt some people? Oh, yeah. Are there people who are scared about their livelihood? Apparently. Are there people who will never recuperate? I don’t know. The bottom line is no one except perhaps the business owners, a few close affiliates and the investigative forces know what it going on at this time. Possibly, the truth will never reach public audience.

But life MUST go on. I have no control over what is happening in federal offices in the United States. I have no idea what the truth is, who is guilty or what caused the massive sweep into this business. I can speculate, I can throw stones, I can join others in their accusations, but I only prolong my own suffering and agitation by so-doing. It isn’t worth it to me. I will check in to the official websites every day or two to find out if I can recoup some of the money I did not have time to earn back; but I cannot wallow in everyone else’s emotional upheaval. I have great empathy for those hit hardest by this but until the door closes on this investigation we do not have enough facts to warrant the raised temperatures I am seeing all over the internet.

Do you remember when Princess Diana had that tragic car crash? Do you remember the Challenger explosion? Probably you remember 9-11. TV coverage of those events was so constant and so invasive that you were ripped apart umpteen times a day. You fell into bed exhausted knowing the world was a sadder place. But did you ever think to turn off the TV and the radio? Sometimes you need to acknowledge the tragedy and then turn away. Until facts are found and opened to the public, no amount of speculation will change a thing. Except your blood pressure and your mood. And possibly your view of the world.

Acknowledge the tragedy and turn away until the facts are known. Be strong for the sake of your own health – mental and physical. It is out of your hands.

The mentors in my on-line business-building here have a saying: Keep the main thing the main thing. Remember why you are here; focus on that and on your next step toward that goal. Just like you shouldn’t be distracted by the stranger with the candy bar, you can’t be distracted by events you have neither control over nor complete information about. Turn off the TV, avoid the internet groups that hash and rehash, and stay focused on your own forward motion. I know you have to lick your wounds, maybe apply some serious bandages (perhaps even have a stiff drink – or two) but you cannot live in a moment in the past nor can you expect those around you to stay in that bad moment either. Do whatever it takes to move yourself forward. Wait for the real conclusions; don’t jump on anyone’s bandwagon. Deep breaths, fresh air – for your sake as well as your loved ones.

And I will step off this bandwagon now. Thanks for listening!

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