What I’ve Learned in the Past 24 Years (as a professional) . . . Control the Things You Can

Control the things you can is my mantra when things get busy, start to feel overwhelming, and I get that tight feeling in my head and chest. Every time that happens, and it happens often in life, I remind myself that there are at least a handful of things that I can do to help myself through this chapter in life.

In business, while we can influence variables, set direction, and innovate our products and services, there are hundreds, if not, thousands of variables that are outside of our control. We use process and procedure to try to manage them, we build accountability for our team members, we make choices in who we hire based on personality, skill set and cultural fit. All of this is a way to influence the variables in our business world, but we truly can’t control other people, and that includes employees, clients, competitors, vendors, the government, etc.

So, what do I mean by control the things that you can? Well, I can control the way that I think, my clarity of thought, the way that I communicate, the way that I care for the people in my world, and how I care for myself.

Recently, during a rather stressful time, I decided that I was going to control my health as my top priority. I’ve learned through experience that when I’m the healthiest I can be, I bring equanimity to all situations. It allows me to be kind and compassionate, thoughtful, and intentional, strategic and a good leader.  It aligns with my Five Things that I keep consistent in my life (most of the time . . . ) to give me the ability to juggle all the things.

How am I controlling my health these days?  I went out and bought an Oura ring (not paid to say that, and note, thousands of other similar devices out there). I wanted to be able to track my sleep, my steps, my exercise, and hold myself accountable.  Also, at this point in time in my life (late 40s), I wanted to be able to track my stress and how it impacts my heart.

In controlling my level of health and wellness, even when life is a whirlwind, I can stay steady in the storm.

I’d love to hear from you!  What are you go to moves to control what you can when life gets overwhelming?  Until next time, put these values to work in your professional world and enjoy the positive results!