Get Rid of the "Pennies of Discontent"

Several years ago, I had a big change jar in the closet that I would drop my coins from the day into. Each day might have been a few cents, but they all were put in. Eventually, I decided to take the big jar out to see how much we had in there from my years of saving them. To my absolute amazement, I had accumulated over $900 in coins just a few cents at a time!

Little things add up!

I have a friend who recently got a divorce. They had a good marriage and three beautiful children together, but it all fell apart over a period of a few months. Cracks in the relationship they hadn't noticed before suddenly appeared, and eventually, it led to the end of everything. A lot of small things added up to bigger problems that overwhelmed them.

I call those little things "Pennies of Discontent". They are tiny things you don't notice at first, little issues that aggravate you about someone or something. It's a penny, and it's hardly worth mentioning...but pennies add up to nickels, which add up to quarters, which eventually turn into dollars, and it just goes from there. The smallest issue can begin to snowball if it's not handled early.

These little "pennies of discontent" can appear in relationships with people, family members, and even job situations. A job you love and a boss you are really happy with mess up one day, and suddenly a penny appears on the table of life. If you wipe it away and keep going, it's fine, but if you hold on to it, eventually another appears, and as the pile grows, it gets easier and easier to throw another one on there. Things that never bothered you at all can suddenly become dealbreakers when you let that pile grow.

So how do you stop the pile-up? You have to clear the table daily. Discuss with the other person or people involved in the situation what upset you. If you can't, then make the choice to forgive and forget, and clear the table for the next day. It's not easy, but it can help you focus on long-term happiness rather than temporary aggravation.

Everybody messes up, and everybody needs forgiveness.

I know someone who left a job he really loved because the annoyances got to be too much for him. The "pile of pennies" just grew into "dollars", and he left. The problem was that the table gets cleared as soon as you walk away from it, and he quickly realized how big a mistake he had made, but by then it was too late.

We often overlook the pennies until they become a huge pile, and by then, they can often become the only thing we see in the situation. Minor annoyances dogpile into a major problem. For the couple I mentioned in the beginning, the pennies led to infidelity in what seemed like an ideal family. No one could ever have imagined it, but the little things added up to big problems.

Today, I'm asking you to "clear the table" in your life. Forgive and forget when you can. And if you can talk to the other person about the things making those pennies pile up, do so. As soon as that first penny hits the table, tackle the situation and let it be the only one.

It's not easy, but you'll find life a lot more satisfying when you get rid of those "pennies of discontent" as soon as possible. I'm all for saving money, but these pennies aren't worth holding on to!