The G.I.G.A. Law
By: Daniel Snyder
The GIGA Law is a five-word on-demand magic I’m about to share with you. Its uses are as endless as the universe once you discover its power. Skeptical? I was, too.
My checkup was supposed to be at noon. Things rarely happen on time with doctor appointments, and this would be one of those days. I arrived around 11:45 with plenty of time to check in and sat beside an empty waiting room chair. Even though there were several people ahead of me, I thought it wouldn’t be long.
12:30 PM.
Half hour? Not too bad so far. Speakers overhead played everything from Jack Johnson to The Human League. The music provided an ambient atmosphere to cut the nervousness and tension in the room.
1 PM.
I peered around the room, looking for a nurse or doctor. No one. I would’ve been happy to see any sign of hope. One of the doors creaked open, and a patient and a nurse came out. She mumbled a name under her mask that I had to think about for a second to make sure wasn’t mine. Words burned in my throat, but I held my tongue and reminded myself to be patient. Ironic since that’s what I was. Like Sherlock Holmes, I decided to get to the bottom of this to see what was taking so long. I was sure the pharmacy a few feet away would have an answer.
I returned to my seat, and the once-empty chair beside me was now occupied. Now that I had my answer, I pulled out a book and read more intently. Out of the corner of my eye, a girl about my age sat beside me. After flipping through a few more pages, I struck up a conversation.
“Hey, what time is your appointment?” I asked her.
“1 PM. Yours?”
“Supposed to be at noon, but there’s only one nurse working today.”
Her response was as refreshing as ice water in the desert, “She must be really busy. I’m glad she’s able to see everyone though.” She chuckled, “And at least I’m off work today.”
We continued the conversation, realizing we had a lot in common and were on a similar wavelength.
It was interrupted by the nurse, “Mr. Snyder? Sorry for the wait. I can see you now.”
After the checkup, my stomach rumbled, and I stopped to munch on a steak bowl from QDOBA.
Traffic on the way back was horrendous. You would think all the cars were heading to an NSYNC concert as if they suddenly got back together. I tapped my steering wheel multiple times and sighed as I listened to rock music. Travel times were doubled. Bad accident.
I stopped tapping.
I stopped sighing.
I just stopped.
At that moment, as I paused and refocused, I realized something profound — The G.I.G.A. Law.
None of the situations were causing my frustration. It sounds crazy, but the situations were out of my control. When I began to focus on what was within my control and power, I realized that my attitude about these situations was the source of my frustration. To turn frustration into something productive, I had to change my mindset. Take on a new attitude. It starts with the real G.
The G.I.G.A. Law states: “Gratitude Is a Great Attitude.”
Instead of being frustrated that I had to wait over an hour for my appointment, I realized that what the girl I met said about being grateful to get an appointment was true. Grateful that I had insurance that would cover this entire visit. Grateful that I met a girl and had a conversation who helped inspire these words.
Instead of being frustrated that I was deep in the pit of traffic, I was grateful that it wasn’t me in that accident. Some aren’t as lucky. Grateful that I have a car that I could even be in traffic. Grateful for working air conditioning in my car because have you been to Florida in the summer? Grateful for music that I could enjoy along the journey. I think you get the idea.
In nearly every situation, there is something to be grateful for. You might first have to think outside the box to discover those things. Once you shift your attitude using the G.I.G.A. Law, unnecessary stress, anxiety and worry roll off you, and you adopt a much happier and more fulfilled life.
Feeling frustrated, anxious, and fearful is human, and we should never get down on ourselves for feeling that way. Easier said than done. But once we realize we can interpret situations and how we think about them, it’s liberating.
I challenge you to think about something you can be grateful for when a seemingly negative situation arises and see if you don’t feel better afterward.
Waiting in a long line at Walt Disney World? Hey, friend, you get to be at Disney World! And you’re not stuck on It’s a Small World now, right?
Start today: the next time you feel frustration bubbling up, stop and ask yourself, ‘What can I be grateful for in this moment?’ You’ll be surprised how quickly the shift happens.
The best thing to do is write out what you’re feeling negative about and then something you can be grateful for using the words, “I am grateful for (or) that…” fill in the blank.
Try it every day for a week and watch more situations you can be grateful for come to you.
Don’t take my word for it. It's the law.
This is usually the part where I’m supposed to promote myself. I’m just glad this found you because I believe, for whatever reason, it was destined to. If you’d like to check out my other work, follow, comment, or share, that’s entirely up to you. I promise we can still be friends either way :) Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoyed my words!
Daniel Snyder
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
Benjamin Franklin
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