Go on, be a control freak

A few years ago, I was a train wreck. Mysterious ailments, soul-sucking job, dissociative episodes.

I had lost control of my life.

Nothing I was doing was what I wanted to be doing. I wallowed in pity at a life I had created, and then felt more pity because what I created mostly sucked.

And then I had my ass handed to me when I read this in The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck: "We don't always control what happens to us. But we always control how we interpret what happens to us, as well as how we respond."

That one line helped me on the path to regaining control of my life. I took responsibility for my reactions to life. I learned to accept what is and is not in my control.

In my control:

• Thoughts

• Reactions

• Actions

Not in my control:

• Other people's thoughts

• Other people's reactions

• Other people's actions

Naming what I control at each and every moment of friction empowers me.

It may not be have been my fault that my life is a wreck, but it damn well is my responsibility to deal with it.

We have a choice on how to deal with our lives: choose wisely.