The Only Two Things in the World You Control

I love being stuck in traffic. That is not a misprint, I love traffic. Because being stuck in traffic gives me stuck in traffic gives you time to thinkan opportunity to learn how to metabolize things that I cannot control. I see being in traffic as a gift.

The world can be a very unpredictable place. You do not have control over many things. You do not control what people say, what they do, or how they feel. You do not control the traffic, the price of things or anyone else’s attitude.

You only control two things in this world:

1. What you think about events and situations

2. How you respond to events and situations

Understanding that those are the only things that you have power over is important.

I can give the event (traffic) the meaning I want to give it: making it as positive, negative, or null or a combination as best suits my purposes. Once I give the situation (traffic) a meaning, I can than decide how I will respond to it (as a learning opportunity).

When you realize you have the power to decide what things mean and how you will respond to them, you realize your true power. You can assert a level of responsibility over your actions and decide how you want to feel.

Design the life you want. You are no longer at the whim of others and the world. You understand that you are the master of your world which does not depend on events, because all events are useful to your higher cause.

And that is the first step towards designing the life you want.

What situations and events have you given a specific meaning? How did the meaning you gave it affect how you responded to it? Now that you know you are free to control both the meaning and the response in any event, how can you change them?