“Peace comes when you realize everything that’s out of your control should be out of your mind.”
It’s unknown who originally wrote that quote but I found myself reflecting on it this week.
I decided to write about it today when I posted this and saw how many people also related to it.
Basically it says, “Don’t waste your time on things you can’t control.”
Yup! Guilty!
As I said, I posted that yesterday and one person commented, “ I was such a control person. I was the oldest of four and always tried to be “perfect.” My mom used to tell me to let things go. If it’s not in your ability to control, then get over it! I’m still working on it!”
To which I replied, “ Amen! Same here!
Why do we do it? Maybe we think we CAN control it… until we learn otherwise.
There was a time when I worried about what people thought of me or said about me. Can I control that? Not really. I can concentrate on what I say or how I treat other people but the reality is they are going to think what they want based on their own issues.
Sometimes I worry about the weather. Definitely can’t control that. If it rains or snows…just adapt.
There’s a lot of traveling in my life now. I have really tried not to worry about flight delays. There’s not much I can do about that.
I try to fly early in the morning because I think there’s less of a chance of delays before weather and other flights start affecting things.
When booking, I try to give myself plenty of layover time at airports. It’s tempting to try and shorten the travel day but if I can feel a little less stress by scheduling a longer layover, why not do it? I can’t control the weather in these cities and I can’t control a maintenance issue so why worry? I have also learned that if I miss my flight and have to spend the night in an airport … I can do it. I have done it!
There was another saying I saw recently: “So far you have survived 100% of your worst days.” You’re still here! Chances are you are stronger than you ever thought you were.
We may worry about things that are happening in the world when, in reality, how much of that can we control? As I’ve said before, I just try to handle what I can in my little corner of the world. If we all did that, maybe things would get better.
When I was coaching my children in baseball or softball I would sometimes worry if the other team’s best pitcher was going to go up against us. Could I control that? No. I should have just been planning what we were going to do to get a hit or “manufacture a run” as the saying goes.
Why do we spend so much time and energy worrying about things that may never happen?
Research done by Dr. Walter Calvert and Dr. Robert Leahy has shown that roughly 85% of the things we worry about NEVER materialize! 85%!!!!
“What if ______ happens?”
What if it doesn’t?
And if it does, you’ll deal with it.
Recently I did hear someone say, “Well I want to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.” Okay, I can see that. I’ve probably done that. There’s nothing wrong with having a backup plan, just don’t spend needless energy worrying about it constantly.
By the way, have you heard the country song “Backup Plan?” It’s by Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs. One of the lines says, “Gettin’ back up is the only backup plan you need.”
“Peace comes when you realize everything that’s out of your control should be out of your mind.”
As I said in my reply to that person on Facebook, I’m still working on this.
When I was younger I was always trying to get “things.” And when I got them, I wanted more things. The older I get I find myself looking for peace.
Now when I start to worry about something I just try and take a minute and examine it a bit. Is this worry reasonable or am I letting my imagination run away on me…AGAIN! Is there anything I can do to control it? If yes, then do it! If not, let it go!
I know, easier said than done.
Maybe we should just try and shift our thinking to something happy or more positive. Get up and do something else. Read something you enjoy. Shut off the news. Call a friend. Go outside and change your focus.
Mark Twain once wrote, “I have spent most of my life worrying about things that have never happened.”
Let’s not waste anymore time.
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