Focus On What Is Within Your Control. Makes Life A Bit Easier.
Life will inevitably throw you obstacles throughout your life. Learn to categorize what is in your control and what is out of your control.
One of the main things I have learned from Stoic philosophy is to focus on what is in your control.
Life will inevitably throw you obstacles throughout your life. Learn to categorize what is in your control and what is out of your control.
If you want to increase your success odds, focus your limited time and energy on what is within your control. This mindset approach is easier said than done, but through each iteration, you will improve if you pause and reflect on what is within your control.
Benefits of Focusing On What Is In Your Control
Focusing on what is in your control will help you reduce energy spent worrying about things you can't control and learn to be more proactive in situations than reactive. This mindset approach will help improve the situation and your life overall.
Overall, you may have less anxiety in stressful situations if you adopt this mindset since you come to terms with what factors of a problem are out of your control.
Example
An example of applying this mindset is when my car battery died after I returned from eating at a restaurant in the middle of the day. Instead of stressing about the situation, I paused and focused on what was within my control. I realized I had a AAA car roadside service membership, so I called and notified them about the situation. My car won't start; it may be a dead battery.
The person on the phone said they would send someone to look into resolving the issue. After saying that, he said he was pleasantly surprised that I was not talking anxiously. He mentioned that many people call AAA frantic when something happens to their car.
I told him that I realized that time spent anxious about the situation wouldn't help it get better, and instead, I focused on what I could do to help make the situation better.
"It is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters" - Epictetus
Some Things In Your Control
- Your mindset.
- Your breath.
- Diet and exercise.
- Your attitude.
- Self-care.
And more...
Conclusion
You can't control everything that happens to you in life, but you can focus on your reaction to them.
Your mindset. How you think. Your emotions. How you feel. Your attitude about the situation. How you behave.
When the seasons change, you change how you prepare for the day based on the temperature and weather. You are focusing on what is within your control.