Try to control only what you can.

Stoicism is kind of like “the Serenity prayer philosophy”.  “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Many people try to control the things they can’t control.  Some people try to control everything.  This only leads to frustration and wasting a lot of energy on futile efforts.  You can’t control other people for example.  The only thing you can do there is stay away from people who are trouble, and get with people who are inherently like the people you want to be with.  Still, there may be a surprise now and again.

Other people don’t try to control the things that ARE within their control.  This leads to helplessness and victimhood.

So trying to control everything, and not controlling anything are both strategies that lead to failure. 

The key is discerning what is within your control and what is not.  Then let go of what is NOT in your control, and control what is.

Even if it seems like nothing is in your control in the outside world, you should always control your inside world – your mindset, attitude, thoughts and actions. By controlling those things, you take control of your future, and shape it into something you want.

Think about your situation.  What is in your control and what is not?

Are you trying to control what you cannot?

Are you controlling what you can?

Confidence

Confidence is the foundation of courage and the mainspring of action. – Yoritomo Tashi, 1186 AD

Confidence comes from preparation.

Steering your life in your favor

Life is full of decisions.  Days are too.  A decision is an intersection.  Go this way or that way.

Having goals is important.  Know what outcome you want and where you want to end up.

Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor.

They tell you what direction to take at all those intersections.

Are you clear and firm on your goals?

Doing what you love doesn't mean it's fun all the time

We hear “do what you are passionate about” and “do what you love”.

Sounds good.  (However when it comes to making a living, what you are passionate about might best stay a hobby, depending on what it is.)

Often doing what you love means doing what you are good at.  Some things come to us far more easily than they do to other people because we have a unique ability or talent in that area.  

Still, doing what you are passionate about or love or are good at will not be fun much of the time.  Good thing you love/like/find purpose in it.  Combining what you love with discipline and will and not quitting will be a formidable combination that will yield great results.

Love + Discipline.

Control the inputs into your life

I wrote about this on January 23, 2015.  It’s a really important idea.

What if you had crappy ingredients – could you bake a good cake?

What about the inputs into your life?

Food? 

Fluid? 

Sensory inputs – what you read, watch and listen to? 

Voices – friends, people around you?

(Tonight I had pizza. The first piece tasted good. But I felt like crap afterwards.  Dang.  And I worked all day (Sunday) doing heavy carpentry work in my barn – but you can’t outwork a bad diet.  No more dang pizza!) 

I did listen to two audiobooks this weekend while I was working.

If I can have quality inputs, I can build a quality life.

It’s pretty hard to have a quality life if we have poor-quality inputs.

How are yours?

Thank YOU.

Not everyone looks to get better.  Not everyone wants to.

But one thing I know about you.  You are an exception.  You aren’t like most people.

I have been writing Think Daily for 16 years.  We have a core of loyal readers, and you are one of them.

By showing up each day and reading Think Daily, we know you want to do better.

I just want to say thank you for that.

Thank you for being a person who is striving for more and wants to get better for yourself and the people around you.

The world appreciates you.

Fear – what holds you back

Fear is simply the belief that something bad will happen in the future.

Maybe it’s losing something we worked to get.

Maybe it’s looking foolish, or being embarrassed.

Maybe it’s getting hurt in some way.

Fear is holding us back from doing cool things, from adventure, and from playing bigger games.

Fear is not outside of us though.  It is only manufactured inside of us by us.  Fear is mostly a choice.

What have you said no to that stopped you from something good?

What are you afraid of?

What if you stopped being afraid, or at least feel fear and do it anyway?

The surest way to stop fear?  Do the thing you fear.

Failure is feedback

“Failure is just another way to learn how to do something right.” – Marian Wright Edelman

“Good people are good because they have come to wisdom through failure.” – William Saroyan

“Failure is nothing but success trying to be born in a bigger way.  Most seeming failures are just installments toward victory! – Catherine Porter

Installments toward victory!

It’s not over!  Let’s go!

You don't change until you have a crisis

When things are going pretty well, people don’t change.  Why should they?  There is no reason to change.  We like habits.  Habits make it easier because we don’t have to think much.

But things happen in two ways.  Slowly….and then suddenly. 

Slowly we become unhealthy.  Suddenly we have a crisis.

Slowly we become broke.  Suddenly we are out of money.

Slowly we lose friends.  Suddenly we are alone.

Slowly we spend our reputation.  Suddenly we have no credibility.

When things happen slowly, we don’t change.  Then we have to and it is not fun.  

In some cases, we don’t get a second chance.  The accumulated mistake is fatal.

The wise among us will see what happens when we do this or that and look ahead and see what will happen one day if we keep doing that and change – before they have to.

What do you need to change now – before you HAVE TO?

How much should you achieve?

I love this idea from Jim Rohn –

“Your goal is the development of your full potential.  Why not see who you can become?

How far should you go?  As far as you can.

How much should you learn?  As much as you can.

How much should you achieve?  All you can.

I’m in.

You?