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Control The Controllables

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  • Focus 100% on what you can control … not on outcomes you can’t control.  The latter are truly just a waste of time.  Besides getting better results this will dramatically help your self confidence.
  • Commit to doing controllables 24 hrs/day to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be.  (source p.8 … see related links for sources)

Commitment List

Burn your wish list of uncontrollable goals.  Instead make a commitment list of things you can control and commit to do.  p.10.  Here are ideas for things you can control including some real life examples.:

  • body language – E.g., See just smile tip.
  • self talk – See affirmations & wise sayings.
  • exercise – This is the best way to get happier and healthier.  Commit to 15 minutes every day.
  • environment – Control your environment or it will control you.  E.g., Don’t buy candy & cokes to leave sitting in the refrigerator; you know if it’s there you’ll eat it.
  • perspective –  Use the day to practice being the person you want to be.  Don’t let your job use you up; use it to grow and learn.
  • positive mental attitude – E.g., Practice looking at the half full portion of life’s glass rather than the half empty portion.  I.e., Focus on the positives.
  • what went well – E.g., Keep up a running list of what went well on your desk.  Review it at the end of the day.
  • gratefulness – E.g., Mentally list 3 things you are grateful for before going to sleep each evening.
  • communication – E,g, Look for ways to truthfully compliment important others in your life; and, do it!
  • routines  (steps, moves) – Polish the dance steps of your life.  Break the skills you want to learn down into separate steps.  Then polish them and group them into moves and routines.
  • schedules –  Commit to a schedule, not an uncontrollable goal or deadline.  E.g.,  I’m going to spend  two hours every morning and one hour every afternoon working on mastering this subject.  Or, I’m going to exercise at least 15 minutes every day.
  • habits – When you have a good habit keep repeating it.  E.g., Do chin ups every morning right after I get up.  Brush teeth immediately after eating dinner to reduce snacking & cavities.
  • processes – E.g., a sales call would be an example of a process you can keep continuously improving as you go.
  • being here now – This is a master skill which can be used to improve you concentration and mindfulness.  Meditation can be used to sharpen all three of these mind skills.
  • concentration – E.g., Break your day down into segments and focus on concentrating on one thing at a time. When doing a bunch of details make a list and focus on checking them off one detail at a time.   Don’t let yourself get distracted when something else comes up; just make a side note for review later.
  • mindfulness – E.g., In breaks between concentrated tasks mentally fly by what’s going on and reprioritize you to do list as needed.  This will help keep you doing 1st things 1st.
  • visualization – Take the time to stop and think and feel about the details of what you really want every now and then.  Think about the steps to get there.  Don’t just drift or thrash around all day every day.
  • next one move – When stuck ask yourself “What is one thing I can do to make it better?”
  • learning –  Always ask yourself “How can I learn and grow from this?”   By looking at it this way you can make almost every experience useful.
  • growing – E.g., Use your daily tasks to increase such mental abilities as concentrating or handling boredom.  When doing physical work use the work itself to increase your physical strength and endurance; then you will need to do less formal exercise.

Related ideas

  • Focusing on controllables greatly reduces the mental load of what you have to track.
  • Don’t worry about what you can’t control.  This includes past regrets and future concerns.  Be here now.

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