Is Focusing on What You Can Control the Key to Happiness?

How many of us are truly happy? How many of us know what true happiness really is? The answer to those questions is likely beyond the scope of this article, but one thing remains for certain: Focusing on what you can control, rather than what you can’t, can likely contribute to your overall happiness.

Maybe you wanted to go to the park but it started raining outside? That certainly isn’t something you can control, and it can understandably put a damper on your day. Taking the example a little further, life happens, and it can be anything from a lost wallet to a lost loved one that happens without you having any control over the situation.

So what can you control? You can control your reactions. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” may sound like an old cliche, but in this case it certainly applies. You have the power to control your reactions, just as your reactions have the power to control your mood.

This is easier said than done, of course, and requires much hard work and dedication. Mindfulness meditation may be a useful tool to help you along on the journey, as may be the practice of stoicism, but the longest of journeys begins with a single step and like with everything else, acceptance of what you can’t change happens one step at a time.

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