Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.
Angelina Jolie
Life can feel very scary when we appear unable to control events going on around us, and the more we focus on what is outside of our control, the more powerless we feel and become. And as I write this at the end of March 2020, with most of the world on lockdown, socially isolating, and with great uncertainty, it is not surprising how aware we can be of events which are completely outside of our control.
The risk is to focus on those events, and allow them to overwhelm us. And this serves no purpose at all other than to make us feel worse, even more overwhelmed, even more powerless. It becomes a downward spiral, taking us into deeper gloom and desperation.
It's at this point that we need to take of control of what we can control and what we can influence. And there is so much in our lives that we can control and influence. No matter what our circumstances, we can still set a routine, choose our meal times, decide what to wear, opt to watch the TV or listen to the radio, build a new playlist, get out for some exercise, cook a meal, go to work, work from home, go to bed, and so the list goes on. And the more we focus on and actually enjoy what we can control, the better and the more in control we feel. Because rather than wasting time and energy on what we cannot control, we are using our energy to do what we can control and influence. Which is so much better.
So take a moment or two, or choose not to, or choose to take longer, you are in control, and think about everything around you that you can control and influence. Make a list, and do it now or later, and realise how much is really in your control and within your influence. And find, as you become more positive and upbeat, that you are influencing others around you. Just imagine how good and in control you feel when that happens, don't you?
The risk is to focus on those events, and allow them to overwhelm us. And this serves no purpose at all other than to make us feel worse, even more overwhelmed, even more powerless. It becomes a downward spiral, taking us into deeper gloom and desperation.
It's at this point that we need to take of control of what we can control and what we can influence. And there is so much in our lives that we can control and influence. No matter what our circumstances, we can still set a routine, choose our meal times, decide what to wear, opt to watch the TV or listen to the radio, build a new playlist, get out for some exercise, cook a meal, go to work, work from home, go to bed, and so the list goes on. And the more we focus on and actually enjoy what we can control, the better and the more in control we feel. Because rather than wasting time and energy on what we cannot control, we are using our energy to do what we can control and influence. Which is so much better.
So take a moment or two, or choose not to, or choose to take longer, you are in control, and think about everything around you that you can control and influence. Make a list, and do it now or later, and realise how much is really in your control and within your influence. And find, as you become more positive and upbeat, that you are influencing others around you. Just imagine how good and in control you feel when that happens, don't you?
