Hissy Fit - August 2026 - You Might Be Missing Out: If You Sweat the Small Stuff

August 2026 Issue
by Elizabeth Skenes Millen

 
You’ve heard it a million times:
Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s easy to say, but sometimes,
the small stuff feels like big stuff. The key is to keep things in perspective.

A traffic jam is small stuff—really. A traffic jam when you need to badly go tinkle, and traffic is at a standstill with no exit in sight is a bit more dire. A traffic jam where the interstate is completely stopped because of a terrible accident, and a helicopter is landing in the distance to life-flight YOU or YOUR loved-one to the hospital is no longer small stuff—now enter some well-deserved sweat. See how perspective changes everything?

When is the last time you attended a concert? I love live music but concerts are also a venue for some of the best people watching, ever—especially if you’re at a Coldplay concert. (Sorry, I had to.) But here’s what I’ve noticed almost every time. When the main act—meaning the best band—starts winding down their playlist, droves of people start leaving. What?

This is when it dawned on me how people are willing to skip the best parts of life because they are sweating the small stuff. In this case, it was to avoid the brief traffic backup getting out of the parking lot. But here’s what they missed: The absolute best song of the night! It’s ALWAYS the encore. Haven’t they ever heard “save the best for last?” That encore song is THE reason everyone goes to the concert. And. People. Just. Left.

This got my brain pondering about other things we miss out on due to sweating the small stuff.

The list is quite tragic:
You might be missing out if…you don’t go to the beach because you’ll get sandy. Of course, no one really likes sand all over them, however, the beauty, peace and wonder of the ocean far outweighs avoiding sand that rinses right off with a little running water, which is usually located right where you exit the beach. Could it be more convenient? Talk about sweating the small stuff. You are forfeiting a beautiful day of soaking in salt air and its bountiful healing and stress relieving benefits including a healthy dose of vitamin D. Plus, sand naturally exfoliates skin. Isn’t all this worth getting a little sandy?

You might be missing out if…you don’t dance when the time arises. Get out on that dance floor, let the music flow through you and dance, dance, dance. Don’t sit at the table while all your friends are on the dance floor. You were not born to be the guardian of purses. If you’re afraid people will talk, give them something to talk about, but not something pathetic like, “She sat at the table all night and watched our purses!” Seriously, like the Lee Ann Womack song says: “And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.” This applies to everything.

You might be missing out if…you are more concerned about who you are texting instead of who you are with. Girl, put your phone down and live. If the person you’re texting didn’t come out with you, that’s their loss. Put your phone down. All the way down. Now put it in your purse. Look around. See the friends surrounding you? Talk to them. (Please tell me I don’t need to explain why.)

You might be missing out if…you don’t find something to be grateful for every day. This one is easy and life changing. It takes less than five minutes to consciously be grateful for five things, which will automatically shift your satisfaction level to new heights. Being grateful for people, places, things, situations, outcomes and un-noticeables (fingers, a pillow, a shower, grocery stores—general things we take for granted) is like ingesting rays of sunshine and rainbows. It opens your eyes to a whole new world, and it is greed’s kryptonite. Be thankful every day for something. You’ll be amazed how satiated you will become.

You might be missing out if…you don’t stop and smell the roses. I try to literally stop and smell roses because that smell is heavenly. However, this old cliché applies to much more than flowers. For instance, how many times have you missed out by not stopping to take in a moment. I remember one night when my daughter was in her early twenties and living with me, she called me into her room around 11:30 p.m. and asked me to snuggle with her. I said I would, but first I needed to go change the laundry or something mundane like that. Whatever I went and did, which I truly cannot remember now, got me sidetracked, and I never made my way back to her room that night. I robbed myself of a precious rare moment. I hope you won’t.

You might be missing out if…you don’t give people the time of day. I have gathered more stories for this magazine by merely saying hello to strangers. You just never know who is surrounding you and what joy, knowledge, connection or interest they can offer. Some people think snubbing others makes them better. I have found engaging others makes me better and my world bigger. If you’re still snubbing—for whatever reason you have manufactured—you are truly missing out and only hurting yourself. Talk to someone new. You’ll be amazed at what you might learn.

You might be missing out if…you don’t buy the shoes. Short and sweet…just buy them. They will take you places you’ve never been, and that, my dear friend, is the path to adventure.

Finally, you might be missing out if…you don’t live with all your heart. I ask this question all the time and I mean it: “What do you want to do with your ONE wild and precious life?” Even if you don’t know what it is just yet, wake up and live every day from your heart anyway. Chances are, before long, you will figure out your calling(s), and in the meantime, you will be in love with your life. Now, that’s something you just can’t miss.