Will this emotion matter five years from now?

When it comes to emotions, we have a lot of them. I've learned the last few years that we have to decide which ones we're going to pay attention to - which ones we're going to let shape the direction of our lives.

I love what Dr. Caroline Leaf says here, "if it's not going to matter in 5 years, don't spend more than 5 minutes getting upset about it."

Too often, I've let things make me sad or angry or frustrated because those things feel like they are life changers. I mean, if I am not careful, everything can start to feel like a life changer.

And not everything is.

When I do presentations, I frequently say we're not very good at relationships. I believe that. I think that's because we spend a lot of time getting caught up in things that aren't going to matter in 5 years. Things that steal the spotlight - and the emotions - from things that could be used to build on the things in a relationship that WILL matter in 5 years.

I think we've become so good at over-processing the things on the surface of life that we forget there are much more meaningful things in the depth of life.

We spend a lot of time getting worked up over the things each other think, and not near enough time getting to the heart of what each other truly feel. We spend a lot of time DEALING with each other at the expense of not getting to KNOW one another.

I feel like I'm walking through a world, some days, that is fogged over with emotions over things that will not matter in 5 years. I keep waiting for the fog to clear. I keep waiting for it to clear so we can all sit down and talk about the things that will always matter.

Loving one another better.

Taking better care of those who need taken better care of.

Bringing companionship to those lost in loneliness.

How do we lift the fog of temporary emotions to reach people lost inside perpetual hurt?

I think it starts by stopping and asking ourselves a little more frequently - will this emotion matter in 5 years?

If the answer is no - give it its 5 minutes and move on. Move on to things that will matter in 5 years. Let go of the things that will have no long term meaning in your life whatsoever and find a way to invest in the things that will.

Because there are a lot of things out there that WILL matter in 5 years. I think we've just lost sight of them wrestling with the things that won't.