Accept What You Can't Control

"Expectations are resentments waiting to happen."- Macklemore

I reconnected with a friend whom I have been on and off contact over the years. We would be happy to reconnect after along period of not communicating, Then things would just sour. I would then question myself why do I keep doing the same thing over and over?

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

Yet here I was. Reaching out to this individual only to find them at some point in our interaction: aloof, uninterested, and just plain unresponsive. The same result would be me getting angry at the individual because I was devoting some time and effort for very little return. No matter how hard I tried,  the result was the same. 

So I have to ask myself why do I keep going through the same motions with this individual to get the same frustration again. 

I realized why. It was because I created an illusion that this individual has changed. I could get into the psychology behind it, but I really wanted to keep this blog within the breadth of the title and the message in my book. 
        
Just as we can't control circumstances, we can't control people. 
Our worth and value on this planet is not tied to the ups and downs of the stock market. Nor should it be based on the action or inaction of others. 

I am not implying  that we should not call on people's actions that harm others. We should just not expect people to behave as we want them to all the time. We can only control our responses to their behavior.

If we can let go of that need to control every phantom disaster or behavior, wouldn't we be happier people?

Yours in Acceptance, 

Helga DeSousa

If you enjoyed this post, learn more about this topic in my book, click on the below link: 

Calmess:  Find the Calm in the Storm and Enjoy Life Now.