Take the example of a bow, an arrow, and a target. 🏹
You’ve practiced for months. You’ve spent countless hours shooting arrows. And today is The Day, the day you decide you’ve practiced long enough to hit the bullseye multiple consecutive times! 🎯
But somehow, you’re not at all nervous. You’re not even worried! You’ve practiced a lot, that’s for sure. But there’s one valuable lesson you’ve also learned in your life which rids you of needless worry…
🌟 Separate the things which are in your control from the things not in your control. 🌟
To be kind to another person is within your control. To know if the person will be kind in return is not in your control. ❤️
To tell the truth is in your control. To know if telling the truth will benefit you in your current situation is out of your control. 🗣️
To keep a promise is in your control. To know if someone else will keep their promise is out of your control. 🤝
To practice, to prepare, to aim, and shoot an arrow at a target is in your control. But to know if the arrow will hit the bullseye once it’s left your bow is not in your control. 🏹
The problem is we so often put focus on what’s not in our control. So much of the news we read, hear, and absorb today are about other people, other events, and things which are not at all in our control. 📺
So then we focus on the arrow even though it’s already left our bows. We focus on all the arrows of others even though they have nothing to do with our everyday lives. In doing so, we’re causing ourselves needless worry and anxiety! 😫
So what then? We must flip our focuses back to what we can control, not just for our own mental health but for the impact we make by doing so. We focus on being a good person. We focus on setting the example. We focus on taking action on things within our control. 💪
Because once you make a habit to start separating these two, placing all your energy into what’s in your control, you will save yourself a ton of time and stress! ❤️
