There’s a new superpower our kids have, and it’s disguised as an innocent little question.
It’s “So what?”
You tell your teenager, “Hey, you need to wake up early to be punctual.”
And they look at you, with that mix of boredom and defiance only a teen can master, and go, “So what?”
You say, “Your room is a mess. How will you ever find anything?”
Again, the two-word volley: “So what?”
I won’t lie. For a long time, it drove me nuts. Back in my day, if my dad told me to do something, the only question I dared to ask was, “With a belt or a slipper?” Times have changed. Now, you’re not just a parent; you’re a lawyer for your own instructions. Every command needs a solid, compelling argument and multiple supporting witnesses. It’s exhausting.
And then, one day, while I was getting ready to argue with a pile of clothes that looked suspiciously like my son’s, I stopped.
I looked at the chaos and I heard my son’s voice in my head. So what?
I wasn’t a teenager anymore. I was a middle-aged guy with a mortgage and enough wisdom to fill a small library (and enough mistakes to fill a bigger one). But that question… it was suddenly different. It wasn’t an act of rebellion. It was a prompt. A challenge.
What if we started using “So what?” on ourselves? On our problems?
You wanted to go for a run, but it’s pouring rain outside?
So what? Run in the basement parking lot. Your goal wasn’t to run outside, it was to run.
You were on a diet, then slipped up and ate a whole slice of cheesy pizza?
So what? One pizza slice doesn’t erase your progress. Acknowledge it, enjoy the memory of that pepperoni, and get back on track with the next meal. The plan is to lose weight, not to be a perfect dieting robot.
Your dream car feels a million miles away, sitting in a showroom you can’t afford to walk into?
So what? Start saving. Small steps. One day, you’ll be a little closer. The dream isn’t about owning it now, it’s about the journey of working towards it.
Suddenly, “So what?” isn’t a question of defiance. It’s a statement of resilience. It’s the ultimate anti-excuse. It turns an obstacle into a tiny, inconsequential speed bump. It’s the perfect antidote to overthinking, to procrastination, to the fear of failure.
I’ve been procrastinating writing a blog post today, staring at a blank screen. No ideas. Nothing.
And then I asked myself… So what?
And here we are. This short, introspective blog post happened because of a question I initially hated. It’s funny how the very thing that frustrates you the most can end up being your biggest teacher. My kid’s superpower isn’t just to annoy me; it’s to force me to think. And for that, I’m grateful.
So next time life hands you a problem, just shrug and ask… so what? And then keep going.
0
20