I’ve been listening to the audio book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. I don’t think I have laughed so much listening to a personal development book! If you can get past the crude language in the title, the book makes some very good points that have been a common theme for me this year. The biggest takeaway so far – stop focusing time and energy on stuff that is out of your control!
Easier said than done though, right? Well, for me it is. I’m sure that many of you have already mastered the art of not spending any time on things that are out of your control. I’m not there yet and willing to admit that when it comes to letting go of the need to control, I am a work in progress 😉
I decided to listen to this book last week because I was struggling with letting go of something that was bothering me. I knew that it was out of my control and the only thing I could do was decided how I was going to deal with it, but I was still frustrated. I knew that I was taking something personally that really didn’t have anything to do with me, but that didn’t stop me from being angry and annoyed.
As I started listening to the book, I realized that I was wasting time an energy on something that is out of my control. There are so many other things that need my time and attention, so why was I giving it to something that wasn’t going to change regardless of how much I stressed about it? I feel like I have to constantly remind myself to stop focusing on the wrong things. What are the wrong things? My top 3 are:
I’ve made a great deal of progress in all areas, but I know that when I’m feeling overwhelmed and not being consistent in taking care of my own well-being, it can be so easy to fall into old, bad habits. I’m grateful for Mark Manson’s reminder to stop focusing on the things that don’t support me in getting to where I want to be or becoming the person I want to be.
Our time is too precious to waste on focusing on things that we have no control over. Focus on you, what you can do and who you need to be to create the life you want to live. The rest will take care of itself. ♥