Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab . Here’s what happened . I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station . We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us . My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches! The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us . My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy . And I mean he was friendly . So, I said, “Why did you just do that ? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital ! ” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call “The Law of the Garbage Truck . ” Many people are like garbage ( rubbish ) trucks . They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment . As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it . And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you . When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally . You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on . You’ll be happy with what you did . I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me ? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets ? It was that day I said, “I’m not going to do anymore . ” Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day . What about you ? If you let more garbage trucks pass you by, you’ll be happier . Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets . So, Love the people who treat you right . Forget about the ones who don’t .