3.The.Art.of.Not.Giving.a.F*ck.
Of course, like many things, this is easier said than done…
The idea is: You get a bad grade on a test, who gives a f*ck. You get ghosted by a guy you’ve been talking to. Who cares? Your Instagram post flops, whatever. You have a piece of lettuce stuck between your front tooth and right canine all day; carry on. Someone is talking behind your back, brush it off. He gets back with his ex; you expected that anyway. Your brother peed all over the toilet seat (gross, right?); accidents happen! You don’t get the job you want, but someone else in your sorority does. There’s always next time! The server spills red wine all over your new white pants. Just get some new ones. You and your friends take some girls out on a rush date, and they are painfully uninterested; they were just having a hard day, no biggie! (These scenarios being entirely theoretical, of course).
Wrong.
When things like this happen, it is hard to remain unbothered—like so unbelievably hard. It takes a superhuman effort to swallow your pride and not let words, actions, or outcomes affect your mood or ruin your day. When misfortunes or inconveniences hit me, I definitely give a f*ck (surprise, I’m not a superhuman). So much so that I sometimes cause a scene… I inherited this trait from my Father (insert laughing face emoji).
Here’s what I’m trying to get at— you can NEVER completely not give a f*ck, but you can redirect your energy. You can acknowledge something sucks, give yourself a moment to grieve, and then move on with your life because, no matter what, the world keeps spinning. It is counter-effective to harp on something or dwell on the past because the present will pass you by. Talk about it with your friends, but don’t catastrophize the situation, and for the love of God, please don’t let other people’s opinions wind you up.
I should re-name this to “The Art of Giving a Smaller F*ck” because you should still care, just not as intensely. But I’ll stick with the original name in the spirit of being raw. Anyways, I am 20 years old. I’m still learning how to control my emotions and prioritize what I spend my energy on. I think I conclude that it should not be spent on B.S. I hope you can all agree!
10/7/24