The Law of the Garbage Truck Driver

The Law of the Garbage Truck™ Driver

Almost two decades ago,
I discovered what I call
“The Law of the Garbage
Truck™” in the back of
a New York City taxi cab. And
I’ve since shared it with millions
of people all over the world in my
newspaper columns, television
programs, and workshops. Here
is an excerpt from The Law of the
Garbage Truck™:
“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 do what garbage trucks do:
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.”
Most Garbage Trucks come in
and out of your life. They live in
another community. They work
somewhere else. You may never
see them again. And if you do,
you might not even recognize
them. So, follow The Law of the
Garbage Truck™, and you will
be happier and more successful.
But, some of you feel that you
live with Garbage Trucks. You
say that “just smiling, waving,
and wishing them well” literally
means watching someone
leave your kitchen and go into
the living room. You feel there
is no escape. The person you
believe is a Garbage Truck in
your life could be your mother,
father, spouse, partner, roommate,
sibling, cousin, in-law,
boss, customer, or colleague.
You feel trapped.
This is when you must learn
The Law of the Garbage Truck™
Driver.
Inside every Garbage Truck is
a Driver.
And every Driver is protected in
their Garbage Truck.
But no Driver stays forever in
their Garbage Truck.
They will one day leave the
safety of their Garbage Truck,
If even for a moment.
It is then that we will appeal to
what is best in them.
It is then that we will let the
Driver know how much we care,
And how much they mean to
us.
Because there is hope and possibility
in the world,
When we reach the Garbage
Truck Driver.
See, no one is a Garbage Truck
every moment of their lives. And
there is no one, anywhere, who
is not a Garbage Truck at some
point in time. The problem is
that some people are Garbage
Trucks so much of their lives
that it’s hard for us to see them
being anything else. So, we
have to catch those moments,
rare as they may be, when the
Drivers step out of their Garbage
Trucks; only then can we speak
to them.
Our mission then is to connect
with the Drivers when they are at
their best. It is then that we can
approach them, tell them how
much they mean to us, and show
them how much we love them.
And it is then that they will see
that our intentions are good, and
that they will hear what we have
to say. It is only then that we can
talk about our relationships and
how they could be even better.
We will have the chance to show
them that life is better lived outside
of their Garbage Trucks.
We know we cannot reach the
Driver in every Garbage Truck;
some Garbage Trucks come in
and out of our lives too quickly.
We just have to believe that
someone, somewhere, someday
will reach the Drivers we cannot.
But for the Garbage Trucks in
our families and companies, we
must follow The Law of the Garbage
Truck™ Driver. We make
the world a more beautiful place
by helping the most important
people in our lives step out of
their Garbage Trucks.
David J. Pollay is a syndicated
columnist with North Star Writers Group,
creator and host of “The Happiness
Answer™” television program, an
internationally sought after speaker and
seminar leader, and the author of “Beware of
Garbage Trucks!™ - The Law of the Garbage
Truck™.” Mr. Pollay is the founder and
president of TheMomentumProject.com, a
strengths-based training and consulting
organization with offices in Delray Beach,
Florida and Washington, D.C. Mr. Pollay
is also the associate executive director
of the International Positive Psychology
Association (IPPA). Email him at david@
themomentumproject.com.
The Law of the Garbage Truck™ Driver
THE HAPPINESS ANSWER™
David J.
Pollay