Have you ever been an innocent victim of another person’s ill temper? Maybe you were out shopping and the cashier at the supermarket snapped at you for no reason, or your colleague may have flared up during a routine meeting at the office, or even worse, you may be out driving and another driver comes close to hitting your car, and gestures angrily at you, all because you were slow to move when the traffic light turned green.

These are all examples of other people dumping their ‘garbage’ on you.

If you are like most people, your first reaction in any of these situations would be to feel upset and take the other person’s rude behaviour personally. Or you may react by getting angry yourself and retaliating aggressively, giving back what you got.

Either way, you spoil your mood and destroy your peace of mind, possibly for the whole day.

What would be the best way to deal with someone else’s ‘garbage’? I would suggest that you don’t take it personally, shrug it off as the other person’s problem which has absolutely nothing to do with you, and then re-focus on what is important to you.

This important life skill is brilliantly expressed by syndicated columnist and business consultant David J. Pollay in his book ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck’. Pollay says: “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 look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you. So when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well and move on. Believe me, you’ll be happier.”

Remember to follow Pollay’s example next time someone tries to dump their garbage on you. And of course, when you are in a bad mood, find an effective way to de-stress so that you don’t dump your own garbage on others.