Are you worrying too much about things outside of your control?

Most things that happen are out of our control. When we give more attention that is required to those things, we lose our power.

The world is a big place but we have a natural tendency to think it revolves around ourselves. We are self-conscious of how we look because we think others will judge us. We choose to write prolifically, but only within the privacy of our journals. We love to create, but only if it means we can do so privately. We can contribute so much to the conversation, but only if it means we will not be judged by our words. We want to do so much, but we don’t want it enough to overcome the self-imposed obstacles.

Being comfortable with not controlling everything is the first step to achieving our goals. We will never be entirely oblivious to others’ opinions of ourselves, but identifying that it is an obstacle is a great step in the right direction. Once we overcome that hurdle, we can realize our goals.

Steps you can take to move on:

1. Understand what is not within your control. Do not judge the things outside of your control. Simply acknowledge that they exist.

2. Focus on what you can control.

3. Work on high value items within your control. Not everything within your control can add value. Focus on the ones that do.

We can’t control what others think of us, but we do have control over how much attention we give to those thoughts. When we obsess over them, we lose our power. So the next time you find yourself ruminating on an interaction or situation that didn’t go your way, try and let it go. It’s not worth your energy! Instead, focus on the things you CAN control- like how you react and what you put out into the world. Stop thinking about how others perceive you and start living a life that YOU love.