Much of what happens in life is outside of our control

2 min read

 

Much of what happens in life is outside of our control. 

 

It is normal for people to really want to try and control everything, but most of the time this isn't possible. 

 

It's easy for your mind to get caught up worrying about all the things that could happen, but the healthiest and most productive approach is to shift your focus to the things that you can control. 

 

You can picture this as two circles. One big outer circle and one smaller inner circle.

 

Imagine all the things that you can't control living in the outer circle... these are things like, the weather, other people's opinions, other people's actions... etcetera. These things belong in the outer circle. 

 

Now picture the inner circle... this is the place for the things that you can control... things like how much effort you put it in... your attitude... what you say to yourself... these are things you can control. 

 

Focusing on the inner circle enables all the stuff on the outside to drift out of your attention... which can bring a sense of calm. 

 

A lot of athletes use this process because in sport the outcome is never controlled but things like attitude and effort are totally controllable. Focusing on these things helps performance and feels better. 

 

The same is true in life - focus on what you can control, do these things well, and let the rest take care of itself.