How to Get More Time and Happiness Out of Your Day

I have always looked at life through a lens of things that are within my control and things that are not. I truly believe that this is one of my ‘super powers’ and has made a huge impact on my life. Many of us spend far too many hours each day wasting time thinking, worrying, stressing, and talking about things we have absolutely no control over. Every day you allow yourself to spend time on things you cannot control, you have lost that time forever with nothing to show for it. When you can recognize whether something is within your control or not, a magical thing happens. You expectations of others will change in a very powerful way. 

We often place expectations on others based on what we want them to do, how we want them to respond, or how hard we want them to work. The problem with this mindset? We truly have no control over the other person, and at the end of the day, they are free to make their own decisions. Therefore, we are often left disappointed, frustrated, or angry and asking ourselves why they didn’t do something the way we wanted. All of this thinking and frustration becomes wasted time spent complaining to others or internally dwelling on what should have happened. Ultimately, we lose the valuable time that is our life.

When we are able to recognize we are not in control of other people, we can diminish expectations and place accountability back on ourselves. Do this by asking: ”What could I have done different?” or “What can I do better next time?”. This mindset allows us to give more than we expect from others in return. We are able to stay focused on things that we can control, and ultimately make our lives better.

I think we can agree that we all want to be happy. When we focus on things within our control, we are able to accomplish more and make a difference not only in our own lives but in the lives of everyone around us. Ultimate success and happiness will be achieved when you take accountability for your actions and stop focusing on the things that are out of your control.

– Jason Baxter

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