This pile of rubbish is what I collected while on a short hike last week, but I’m not here to complain about it. I have a different point to make – one that you can apply every day.
I was visiting Twin Falls just outside North Bend, Washington. Twin Falls is a popular trail through a beautiful, mossy forest. It follows the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River and ends with stunning views of several waterfalls.
As is typical with popular hikes, the trail was dotted with litter left behind by careless hikers. Whenever I see a piece of trash on a hike, I have an immediate emotional reaction: I get upset. But there is a simple way to get relief from this negative emotion – a way to instantly feel better. I pick up the garbage and put it in my pocket or backpack.
I don’t complain about the trash to the people I’m hiking with. I don’t fuss about it. And I don’t hesitate. I just wordlessly bend over and take care of it.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not bringing this up to paint myself as a do-gooder. That’s not my point. It’s actually not a big deal to pick up the garbage. It costs me almost nothing – just a small expenditure of energy. My point is that this type of small, positive action is the best antidote I know for being upset about things like this. The lesson is simple: If seeing a piece of trash on the ground bothers you, pick it up, and you’ll feel much better.
In your day-to-day life, “picking up the garbage” might be something different, but this principle still applies. It might mean tidying up some small mess in your home that was left by your partner or roommate. Would you rather be upset by the mess, or would you rather just take care of it? It might mean taking care of an issue at work created by a coworker’s mistake. Would you rather suffer the consequences of the error, or would you rather just take care of it?
A mess that someone else made is, of course, their responsibility to clean up. But that doesn’t mean they will. And whose fault it is has nothing to do with whether or not you’re response-able.1 If you want it cleaned up, and you can clean it up, why not just do it? You’ll feel better if you do. As usual, you can choose to be right, or you can choose to be happy.
And there’s another benefit to picking up the garbage: You reduce the likelihood of future garbage.
Humans tend to respond to their environment by adopting whatever seems like the “normal” behavior in that environment. If there’s garbage on the trail, some people think that means it’s okay to litter. But if you pick up the garbage, then it’s no longer normal for there to be garbage on the trail. It seems less okay to litter when there isn’t any other litter. I estimate that for every five pieces of trash I pick up, I prevent a sixth. Similarly, it feels less appropriate to leave a mess in a home that is clean and tidy than in a home that is already messy.
I also believe that picking up trash makes those who might pick up trash as they walk by more likely to do so. Sure, they might see me doing it and follow my lead, but that’s not what I mean. I think that people who want to help are more likely to help when the problem seems manageable. If the trail is full of garbage, the problem is overwhelming, and it doesn’t feel like picking up a single piece of trash would make a difference. But if the trail is nearly free of trash, then picking up a piece as you walk by takes us significantly closer to having a pristine trail.
Picking up the garbage makes the world, and your own feelings slightly better right then and there, and it makes them slightly better in the future too. So the next time you see a piece of trash, if you choose to pick it up, you won’t regret it.
Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Fireside, 1990.