From the philosopher Epictetus:
“In life our first job is this, to divide and distinguish things into two categories: externals I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them I do control. Where will I find good and bad? In me, in my choices.”
This is a really good piece of advice right now. All this turmoil going on in society gives us a a lot to worry about. One of the best things you can do is to decide to only worry about what you can control. Worrying about what you cannot control is really just wasted energy. It is because of this reason, that you gain power in your life. You are in control of what you spend time worrying about. You make this choice everyday, every hour. You choose what you worry about. You choose what you spend time on.
The concept of owning and accepting responsibility for your own actions, by emphasizing what you can control versus what you cannot is probably the key element in maturity. The principle behind a healthy lifestyle.
Guy Reams
