Suffering arises from trying to control the uncontrollable.
Focus and concern yourself only with what is within your control.
Accept what you cannot control. Think about all the times you’ve felt frustrated or upset by something completely beyond your reach: traffic, the weather, something someone else said or did. The truth is, we spend an incredible amount of mental energy
on things we can’t change, and that drains us. And you know what’s worse? In the end, we achieve nothing with that frustration. Imagine for a moment how liberating it would be to stop worrying about those things you simply can’t control.
The key to peace of mind lies in making a clear distinction between what is under our control and what we cannot control. Essentially, everything that happens to us falls into two categories: what we can influence, such as our decisions and actions, and what is completely beyond our control, like the behavior of others or external circumstances. The important thing here is that when you understand this distinction, you stop wasting energy on useless things. And I assure you, when you focus only on what you can control, 95% of your problems will automatically vanish.
Now, I know this isn’t easy. We live in a world where everything seems to demand an immediate reaction from us, and many times we feel like we have to control everything around us. But here’s the secret: not controlling certain things is not weakness, it’s wisdom. Accepting that you can’t change what someone else thinks of you, for example, frees you from the burden of trying to please everyone. Accepting that you can’t control the outcome of a project allows you to focus on doing your best without being obsessed with perfection or the fear of failure.
It’s like stopping the struggle against a strong current, and instead, learning to flow with it, directing your energy where it can truly make a difference.
So the next time you find yourself anxious or upset about something you can’t control, stop fighting against the inevitable. Focus your energy on what you can do, on how you respond to the circumstances.
You can’t control the wind, but you can control how you adjust your sails.