What you can control. Your focus should be on the things you can control.  You may worry about things and when you find yourself doing so, ask “is this something I can actually have any control over?”  Take a moment to examine the situation. Pause. Notice. Revisit the facts (for sure stick to the facts). And then remember that essentially your own efforts, actions, and attitudes are what you need to focus on. These can be broken down further into a hundred little things. To start, consider these 15 things….that you can control:

1. How you respond to challenges
2. How you act
3. Saying what you need
4. Setting your boundaries
5. When and if you forgive others
6. Owning up to your mistakes
7. If you focus on the negatives or positives
8. What kind of attitude you have
9. How you relate to your feelings
10. Treating others the way you would want to be treated
11. Letting others know how you want (and deserve) to be treated
12. Expressing what you hope for
13. How you “talk” to yourself
14. Reminding yourself that you are lovable
15. What coping strategies you use

Through all of this, remember, it is important to be Proactive vs. Reactive.

Reactive – Time and energy spent on things you can’t control

What other people think. How other people act. Time passing. Having to pay bills. Traffic. Weather. What others think of you.

Proactive – Time and energy spent on things within your control

What you say. Where you work. What you do to take care of yourself. What you buy. What you look at online. Who you surround yourself with.

Each week we try to correlate these Blog Posts with our weekly newsletter.  If you haven’t yet, enter your first name, email and click “yes, please” in the black box within the main Blog Page of this website to have these drop into your inbox weekly. In each you will also get a helpful Mindful Minute – this week, “Distractions.”

For additional tips on mindful living and topics like this, follow me @livinghealthyin5fields on social media.