Let Go of What We Can’t Control

Stoicism says we should stake our well-being on what we can control and let go of any attachment to what we cannot.

There are many forms this philosophy takes all concluding that we should avoid worrying about or being anxious about what we can’t control. Examples include: events, opinions or behavior of others, or whatever is outside ourselves.

This is a lot easier to say than to do, and it ignores the fact that part of our lives is under the control of others such as the government, our employers, and our obligations to friends and family.

Maybe we should consider not worrying about things we can’t control and spending our efforts on our own judgments and actions, remaining aware that we become attached to things we can’t control and this can lead to misery.

I think it all boils down to awareness.

About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.

1 Comment +

  1. My aunt said: if you just have to worry, worry about why you are spending time and energy worrying about things you cannot change, cannot control and ultimately will not be influenced in any way by your worry!

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