On what we can control.

While the world is upside down, it is a great reminder and time to practice the wisdom of the Stoic philosophers. One of their key pillars, as you probably know, is self-control. To live a fulfilled and productive life it is essential to understand the difference between what we can control and what we can not control. This is a lifetime practice and meditation.

To know what we have influence over and what we do not.

There is no amount of wishing that will make this virus go away, re-open the economy, fix all the racial and social injustices plaguing our world, or make the uncertainty of the future become more clear. Time spent hurling yourself at these immovable objects is time wasted.

If instead, we intentionally spend our time and energy on the things that we can control, we will not only be happier, but we will be in a better position to come out of this thing ahead and do work that matters.

As the stoics write, the only things we can control are:

♠️ Our opinions

♠️ Our choices

♠️ Our desires

♠️ Our actions

We can all make a difference every single day through our words, our choices, and our actions. This is a moment in time that must not be wasted. But we should look at every moment this way and adopt an infinite mindset. Every moment matters however, this particular moment is a great reminder of why we need to be present and intentional.

If we were not already motivated enough to make things better, let’s use this current moment as an open door to put in the work, explore new business ideas, social models, and ways to make a positive impact on ourselves and the world around us.

This means, there is no time to put energy into anything that is outside of our own control.