Things you can control

Have you heard that one CONTROLS out of fear? It's so stressful to control everything. Below is a list I got somewhere of things we can and cannot control, fear or not. Isn't fear just False Evidence Against Reality? Isn't the opposite of Fear FAITH? Stephen R. Covey http://www.franklincovey.com encourages one to work within our personal Circle of Influence not our Circles of Concern.

One Stress reducer is "Know Your Limits". Consider what you can and cannot control. Sometimes a reality check can show us whether we're causing ourself unnecessary stress, either through unrealistic expectations or feeling like everything is out of our control. It's been suggested printing these lists and posting them on our dashboard, the refrigerator, or anywhere you can read them over for a quick "reset."

Things You Can Control
• your reaction to others
• your to-do list (and the number of items on it)
• how your day is spent
• your goals
• how much time you're willing to spend on a particular project
• your self-esteem and self-worth
• how you treat others
• your exercise and eating habits
• the communication of your needs to others
• telling people when you're stressed out and need time alone or help with projects
• whether or how much you smoke or drink alcohol
• how old you act
• the way you raise your children


Things You Can't Control
• the age or stage of development your children are in
• the way you were raised
• whether the stoplight turns red or green
• how fast other cars are driving
• the number of hours in a day
• other people
• the timing of your teenager's mood swings or your toddler's temper tantrums
• your age
• when work or a project takes much longer than expected
• waiting for your doctor 30 minutes after your scheduled appointment
• a death, illness, or accident in the family
• the calendar (helpful to remember when holidays are approaching)
• being laid off from a job
• messes made right after you have cleaned the house