There’s no need to fuss.

Everything is “perfect.” 

This phrase doesn’t mean our day is wonderful and requires scant improvement. (Nor does it mean the speaker lives in an alternate universe.) The phrase means that everything has transpired precisely the way it was supposed to.

Three unexpected projects dumped on your desk by a vacation-bound supervisor? Perfect!

Your name added to the updated volunteer list after you had notified the group of your future unavailability? Perfect as well.

The perfect outcome isn’t the fantastic one we imagined, but an appropriate one. There’s no point fussing over how things can be different. If they are to be different, they will be. But none of that is happening. Let’s accept reality and quit wasting time and energy on our disappointment. Instead, tell yourself “It’s perfect!”

Thankfully, most things happening in our lives can indeed become more bearable, and sometimes even humorous, when we summon forth our newfound motto.

“In the face of war, social injustice, 

religious conflict, what difference can I make? 

Can I even make an impact?

The odds are overwhelming. It's pointless”

Frankly, what matters is that we do what is right, simply because that’s what it is—right.

We refrain from striking another person not because we expect that action will lead to the end of violence, but because not hitting another person is the right thing to do.

We refrain from lying to our spouse or partner not because we think our actions will convince others to be honest, but because being truthful in any relationship is the right way to behave.

We do not ignore a customer because of the color of his skin or the way he speaks. Treating all people equally and with respect is the right way to interact with others.

We refrain from wrongdoing because even if no one will know of the wrong we do—and even if our right actions have absolutely no effect on others—doing something wrong is just plain wrong.

And so we do what is right.