Remember the last time you were stuck in a traffic jam or your phone crashed in the middle of an important task? It’s easy to let these situations spark a fire of annoyance within you.

But here's a nugget of wisdom from Seneca: when life throws its small curveballs at you, choosing to face them with a light touch can make all the difference.

Approach that traffic jam with your favorite song, or use that unexpected phone reboot as a moment to take a few deep breaths. Suddenly, these inconveniences shrink, no longer heavy burdens but just slight hiccups in your day.

Seneca invites us to see that irritation is often a choice, not a requirement.

The next time you feel the familiar rise of frustration, ask yourself: Am I adding fuel to the fire by getting worked up? Imagine your irritation as a balloon. Every huff of annoyance is a puff of air making it swell larger and larger until it's all you can see.

Now, what if you stopped blowing air into it? What if you let it deflate and float away? Yes, challenges must be acknowledged but inflate them with patience instead of irritation, and their power to disrupt your peace diminishes.

Lead your day with a lightness of touch, and watch the mountains of molehills level out to the path you walk on with ease.