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The Lack Of Control Fear
A simple reminder, when you’re controlled by control.
We love control. We “need” control to force a better outcome.
We feel, with some mental strain and stress, we can bend the inevitable.
Living life, controlled by control, causes turmoil. Stress builds — anxiety brews. Nothing feels good enough.
The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is understanding what we can change and what we can’t. What we have influence over, and what we don’t.
Most things in life, we can’t change.
A virus decimates your career. A loved one passes away. Someone doesn’t like you.
No amount of yelling at an airline employee about your delayed flight or wishing you were taller will change anything.
“Time spent hurling yourself at these immovable objects is time not spent on the things we can change,” as The Daily Stoic reminds us on January 1st.
These are all things beyond your control. You can’t will them to a different outcome. They are what they are. “Truth goes on as long as it’s true,” says Ryan Holiday.
“Life is hard. It is filled with hard facts and hard decisions.”
