The Law of the Garbage Truck
The Law of the Garbage Truck
The Law of the Garbage Truck
This is one of those times when your typical motivational speaker would be able to fake it and give you great words of inspiration. Unfortunately, I am not your typical speaker.
It was an extremely difficult weekend with Evan. He was aggressive and very emotional On Friday, we had to fill out the paperwork to let them begin testing to put him in special education. I don’t know why it was so hard for me. It will allow them to provide him with additional services and attention. I guess it is the first time I had to really admit to myself that his life may be very different from what I had hoped and wished for.
In any case, rather than try to fake it, I decided to post one of my favorite “motivational stories”. I will be following my own advice and focus on choosing how I think this week. Not easy…..but doable.
Thanks again for your continued prayers and support.
The Genius Of A Taxi Driver
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’
He explained that 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 sometimes they’ll dump it on you.
Don’t Take It Personally!
Instead, just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so…..
Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t, and watch out for the garbage trucks!’
Make it a wonderful week!
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I had an incredible time chatting with @dr.cindyspeaks on Positively Altered about one of my favorite topics >> resilience!
💪 We covered everything from how stress affects the brain to actionable strategies for resetting your resilience and reclaiming balance. Plus… we even talked donkeys!
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In this episode, we dive into:
🧠 How to train your brain for resilience
😩 The power of sitting in the “suck”
💡 Simple strategies to reset stress and find balance
If you’re ready to transform stress into strength, this one’s for you!
What is on your to-do list for the week? ✅
I’m sure it includes meetings, tasks, personal chores, and follow-ups, but does it include things that bring you joy?
Instead of waiting for happiness, create it.. You can even focus on enjoyable things while doing the have-to do things.
Slogging through paperwork? Light a candle and listen to your favorite tunes.
Going for a drive? Listen to a stand-up comic or a great book.
Don’t neglect what brings you joy and happiness—make it a ritual and part of your resilience-building routine.
You know that heart-stopping moment when you try to change lanes, only to realize that someone is in your blind spot?
Blind spots aren’t just for driving. In life and leadership, we all have blind spots—things others see clearly that we don’t.
The tricky part? Blind spots aren’t always glaring flaws. Often, they’re our good intentions getting lost in translation. So, how do you uncover them?
Here’s a simple twist that will make a big difference: Ask for advice instead of feedback. 🗣
This slight shift makes people more likely to offer constructive, actionable insights—without triggering defensiveness. Plus, it builds trust and strengthens relationships.
Rather than trying to make drastic changes, pick one behavior and integrate it into your day.
Want to start a gratitude practice? Do it while you brush your teeth. Want to take deep breaths? Practice while you make coffee. Adding a new habit to an existing one makes it easier to stick with it.
#mindfulmonday #habitstacking #atomichabits #jamesclear
Humor changes your biochemistry, emotions, thoughts, and behavior. 😆
A positive mood boosts your immune system! Whether you find your laughter through being around friends, going to a comedy show, watching funny movies, or just being goofy, don’t underestimate the power of a belly laugh and a sense of humor.
When something stressful happens, there are really 2 different things taking place.
There’s the thing that is happening, and then there is the story that you tell yourself about the thing that’s happening.
The story is where criticism, judgment, self-doubt, and shame come in.
Whatever you have going on in your life right now, take a step back and try to view it from a third-person perspective. See if you can separate the facts from the story you tell yourself about it.
If we can start to separate the situation from the story, the story becomes much less scary because we realize it is one we’re telling.
This makes it easier to accept where you are without judgment, self-doubt, and shame. What we practice grows stronger. 📕
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Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 3 books. Her newest, Mind Over Moment: Harness the Power of Resilience, is available on Amazon now.
Great story. I know a garbage truck driver. My thoughts are with you and Evan.
Wishin you and Evan the best…..makes me think of when I might have been that garbage truck. This week I will pay more attention to my actions and reactions…
I work for the largest university in the nation, and our solid waste/recycling program is used as a benchmark by other universities; this story will make a great read for our staff. My prayers and best wishes to you and your family.
Will send Evan and you healing energy and prayers. KS
Your good sense of boundaries show through in choosing The Law of the Garbage Truck for motivation this week; a great story. Good boundaries help us all to conserve and preserve. Thanks Anne.
Anne, you have been an incredible mother to Evan and an inspiration to many. Thank you for the Garbage Truck story. I think I dumped some garbage on a co-worker today, but this little story will certainly make me think next time I start to let go!
Hello-
I don’t typcially write/respond to a blog, however my deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family during this time. I too, have a son that had to receive special education (due to a learning disability). As a result, he did receive a lot of services that aren’t typically available to others. I had to do a sort of reality check and realize that my feeling have nothing to do with my child’s ability to learn (or vise-versa). I am so greatful for the services he recieved/receives, however as a parent I felt a little helpless. We all want to the very best for our children (especially I we felt hardships during our childhood) and sometimes it is just out of our hands. I found comfort in learning as much as I could about my son disability and found support groups with parents also in my situation.
Goes to show that we really do need a village to raise a child…:-).
i liked what you post.. thank for sharing, this should be a great lesson to us.