The Law of Garbage Trucks

Wednesday, September 26, 2007


courtesy of my dad :)


How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do
you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive
employee ruin your day?

Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set
back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how
quickly she can get back her focus on what's important.

I learned it in the back of a Harare City taxi cab. Here's what
happened. I hopped in a taxi and we took off for Westgate.

We were driving 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!

Here's what happened next. 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. How do I know? Ask any Zimbabwean, some words
in Harare come with a special face.

Now, here's what blew me away. 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. I guarantee it.

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. Life is too short to dwell
on other people's garbage....

One of my favourite Football players of all times, Ronaldino, does
this every day on the football field. With a smile he always jumps up
as quickly as he hits the ground after being tackled. He never dwells
on a hit. Ronaldino is always ready to make the next play his best.

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.

What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if
you let more garbage trucks pass you by? You'll be happier. I
guarantee it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

good inspiring post

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for posting such a fantastic story! I found the original author of this story. His name is David J. Pollay, and he has a huge body of work that I bet you’d be interested in seeing. You can find it at http://www.northstarwriters.com/davidpollay.htm, and http://www.happynews.com/columns/pollay-momentum.htm.

Fionna Tan said...

thks khaiyong

you're welcome Chris =) & thks a lot!