Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas
Don’t let the things you can’t control affect the things you can control. Unknown
How much of what we do or don’t do is controlled by fear? When does it hold us back from things we want to do, be, have, or become?
I’m on the verge of releasing the sequel to Secrets and Silence called Secrets and Sorrow. I wonder, but try not to worry about how it will be received. It won’t make a ripple in the ocean of books available, but it is a big thing to me. It is another accomplishment and if we keep adding accomplishments to our life we end up with full rewarding lives.
We don’t get to control what others think of us or our work, but we can control our work to the degree we can. We can control our attitude and our actions. How others treat us, what they think of us, if they help us or try to hold us back we have no control. In many cases, people have the power and control over us we give to them. If we have a boss that doesn’t see our potential and appreciate our contribution we can get another boss or start our own company. Instead of holding us back their negativity towards us may spur us to develop a life that is better.
Some people in their early lives were told they wouldn’t amount to much and instead of letting that kill their spirit they used it to spur them on to show that the person who said it was wrong. It is probably true whether we think we can or we think we can’t accomplish something, we are correct.
Many of us want things we can’t control and that is futile. We are not in control of whether we live a long healthy life although we can do things to make it more possible. We are not in control of whether we get rich or famous although once again we can do things that might make it a possibility. We are not in control of whether people like us, approve of us, want to be our friends or our life partners. Here again, we can do what makes it more likely by doing our part to be good friends, potential life partners, and do our best in our work.
You can’t control other people. You can only control your reactions to them. Unknown
There are things in life we have absolutely no control over, things we have some control over, and things we have complete control over. Too many of us spend our time worrying about things we have no control over and little time thinking about what we have complete control over.
Some people may take this to mean they should not keep informed about world events. There is a difference between being informed and railing against what we can’t change to such a degree there is no energy to look after what we have complete control over.
Some writers have used this time of angst to write and publish books; some say the angst and turmoil have made it so they can’t write. If we want to influence things on a greater scale we need to work from our positions of influence. We need to start with what we can do. Many people who become influential never set out to become influential they set out to do the best they could with what they had. They built up their life to such a degree that others looked at them and said. How did you do that? We want you in politics, we want to read your book, and we want to know how you could accomplish so much.
Lots of people want to be rich and famous but these are by-products, not the end themselves. We become rich because we do things that help other people and they pay us and we help more people and more people pay us. Singers and songwriters become rich because we love their music and buy their songs to enrich our lives. Sports players are the same providing entertainment. People buy our books for the same reason, to have something to read. Sometimes we buy a book to have it on our bookshelves even if we don’t read it. I have The Complete Works of Shakespeare and I would thumb through it more but the print is so small I need to buy another one I can actually read.
We have so much that is possible in this life if we concentrate on what we can control, what we can somewhat control, and leave what we can’t control alone. As we look after the first two we might even become one of the people whose sphere of influence grows.
Don’t worry about what you can’t control. Our focus and energy need to be on the things we can control. Attitude, effort, focus – these are the things we can control. Tim Tebow
One of the most rewarding and important moments in your life is the moment you finally find the courage to let go of what you can’t change. marcandangel
Never regret being a good person, to the wrong people. Your behavior says everything about you, and their behavior says enough about them. marcandangel
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