Focus on what's in your control, your feelings are your responsibility

An idea for you to consider

Earlier this year I completed an e-mail course called "Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life" and I stumbled upon the following idea:

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own … ” — Epictetus

I think it's a beautiful reminder to focus only on what's in our control, instead of focusing on (uncontrollable) externals. If you wish to learn more about Stoicism, I can highly recommend Ryan Holiday's course, which you can find over at Daily Stoic.

A quote for you to ponder

"My feelings are my own responsibility. The feelings of others are their own responsibility."  - Jackson MacKenzie

We cannot control how others think, feel, or perceive us. I know it's tempting to blame others for how we feel, but it comes at a cost. Because in doing so, we're basically saying: "I expect my external world to change, and then I'll be happy."

Furthermore, we're robbing ourselves of the chance to improve our situation. After all, how can we take responsiblity and action, if others are responsible for our situation?

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Better HumansTony Stubblebine