David J. Pollay's "The Law of The Garbage Truck™"

Hi Everyone!

Thank you so much for connecting with me and THE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK™! The joy of my work is connecting with good people from all around the world. Together, we are committed to enjoying every day, doing what we love, and making a meaningful difference with our lives!

Below, I am posting my column “The Law of the Garbage Truck™,” also known as “Beware of Garbage Trucks!™.”

The Law of the Garbage Truck™ is a philosophy and strategy that allows people to take control of their lives. Millions around the world have already embraced the message of The Law.

The Law of the Garbage Truck™ was sparked by an experience I had in a taxicab almost twenty years ago. Over the years I developed the insight I gained that day into a life philosophy and strategy, and named it “The Law of the Garbage Truck.” I have shared The Law with thousands of people from more than one hundred countries in my speeches and seminars.

I have been teaching The Law of the Garbage Truck™ for nineteen years, and four years ago I published The Law in my syndicated newspaper column. Since publication, The Law has exploded into popular consciousness. Over 1,000 blogs have posted The Law—and more blogs on the topic are emerging daily. Millions more have received The Law via email from their friends, family members, and coworkers.

If you are interested in reprinting or posting The Law of the Garbage Truck™ or The No Garbage Trucks!™ Pledge, let me know:  david@themomentumproject.com

Please share with me how you are applying The Law of the Garbage Truck™ in your life. I have heard thousands of stories, and each one means a lot to me.

My book, THE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK: How to Respond to People Who Dump On You, and How to Stop Dumping on Others, will be released internationally by Sterling Publishing (a Barnes & Noble company) on October 5, 2010. The book can be pre-ordered here:    
  
 

Thank you for continuing to support and acknowledge my work; I am deeply grateful.

My best to you,

David

david@themomentumproject.com

www.thelawofthegarbagetruck.com

 

 

The Law of the Garbage Truck™
Copyright 2004 - 2009 David J. Pollay

 

How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what’s important in your life.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it 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, the car skidded, the tires squealed, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch from the other car’s back-end.

I couldn’t believe it. But then I couldn’t believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face. And he even threw in a one finger salute! I couldn’t believe it!

But then here’s what really blew me away. 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 could have killed us!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck™.” He said:

"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."

So 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 street? It was then that I said, “I don’t want their garbage and I’m not going to spread it anymore.”

I began to see Garbage Trucks. Like in the movie “The Sixth Sense,” the little boy said, “I see Dead People.” Well now “I see Garbage Trucks.” I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

 

One of my favorite football players of all time was Walter Payton. Every day on the football field, after being tackled, he would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Over the years the best players from around the world in every sport have played this way: Muhammad Ali, Nadia Comaneci, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, and Pele are just some of those players. And the most inspiring leaders have lived this way: Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King.

See, Roy Baumeister, a psychology researcher from Florida State University, found in his extensive research that you remember bad things more often than good things in your life. You store the bad memories more easily, and you recall them more frequently.

So the odds are against you when a Garbage Truck comes your way. But when you follow The Law of the Garbage Truck™, you take back control of your life. You make room for the good by letting go of the bad.

The best leaders know that they have to be ready for their next meeting. The best sales people know that they have to be ready for their next client. And the best parents know that they have to be ready to greet their children with hugs and kisses, no matter how many garbage trucks they might have faced that day. All of us know that we have to be fully present, and at our best for the people we care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their lives.

What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here’s my bet: You’ll be happier. 

 

—DAVID J. POLLAY

 

Click the picture above to watch The Pledge video shot in Times Square, New York City.  You'll see people from around the world, and on the streets of New York taking The Pledge. 

Click here to read THE NO GARBAGE TRUCKS PLEDGE. 

 

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David J. Pollay, M.A.P.P., is on a mission to increase happiness, SUCCESS, and civility in life and business—and he knows how to do it.  David’s The Law of the Garbage Truck is an international phenomenon that’s revolutionizing the way people relate to each other.  “The Law” has been endorsed by psychologists, educators, business and spiritual leaders.  Translated into forty-eight languages, David’s No Garbage Trucks! Pledge has been taken by people from more than one hundred countries. 

He is an internationally sought-after speaker and seminar leader whose work has been featured on NPR, Sirius Satellite Radio, ABC television, Univision, and in Crain’s New York Business, BusinessWeek Small Biz magazine, and newspapers around the world.  He is a founding associate executive director of the International Positive Psychology Association, and a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.

David’s syndicated column is published in newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and online news sites worldwide. Each week he writes a column, “The Happiness Answer”; a blog, “PollayBlog.com”; and a newsletter, “The Law of the Garbage Truck Minutes.”

He is president of The Momentum Project, LLC, a consulting organization focused on applying the Law of the Garbage Truck and the science of positive psychology to becoming happier and more successful in business and life. He has held leadership positions at Yahoo!, MasterCard, Global Payments, and AIESEC. 

David holds a master’s degree of applied positive psychology (M.A.P.P.) from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University. He lives in Florida, with his wife and their two daughters.

 

Comments

[David J. Pollay]

Thanks, Helena, for your great post! Let me know on my Facebook page how you like the book.

All the best,
David

www.facebook.com/thelawofthegarbagetruck

[David J. Pollay]

Thanks, CGS! I'm so glad that it has helped you.
All the best,
David

[David J. Pollay]

Thanks, CGS Exhaust! People from one more than 100 countries have read The Law of the Garbage Truck. I hope you'll pick up the book!

All the best,
David

[David J. Pollay]

Thanks, Truck!

All the best,
David

[David J. Pollay]

Thanks, Tiper Hire!

It has been much of life's work to teach people The Law of the Garbage Truck. I hope you enjoy my book by the same name. Keep in touch.

All the best,
David

[David J. Pollay]

Thanks, Truck Factoring, for the post. I hope my writing helps you. It's always important to consider who we might be dumping on; we would want others to be considerate of us before they just start dumping

All the best,
David

[Trucking Factoring]

That conflicts a very motivating tale, to be sincere sometimes I've been like a trash vehicle need to dispose of to be able to be experience regular again without acknowledging others people sensation.

[Tipper Hire]

19 years is a long time to be teaching a law. But it is true. People are like garbage trucks and we collect a lot of garbage before we off load. It's a very valid observation don't you think.

[Truck]

This is very interesting blog. I like your way. Thank you for this post.

[CGS exhaust]

I really enjoyed reading this article and it seems that this is so interesting because there are many comments I have noticed.

[CGS cat back exhaust]

Very inspiring and a lot of lessons to be learned. I based it on my experiences and it related a lot.

[Helena Velasquez]

How many garbage trucks I have seen in my life? A bunch of them. I have two jobs, one in a store and the other in a bank. This article was so good for me. I am going to buy the book. I don't wanto to be sad every day because of garbage trucks. I want to be happy.!!!!!!

[allis chalmers forklift parts]

I like the way you implement things. Consider it right and relevant. Thanks for making this possible to shared.

[Rant about your bad day]

This principle seems to very informative, it includes lot of information regarding the garbage truck which has a ideal prospective.

[Used Cars for sale]

Interesting principle. Before reading the post I was sure that it was something related to the trucks but this post is not related to any truck matter. How funny..