Inside vs outside our control

Anyone who has ever taken a flight will appreciate just how much is out of our control.

There’s the weather, schedule changes, the screaming kid who won’t nap, the turbulence, even the mood of the flight attendants.

And for those of us without much status, there’s also the dreaded middle seat.

Let’s face it, very little of it is actually in our control.

When we look at life beyond aircraft travel, the ratio in everyday life is not that much different. The reality is that the amount of things in our control is insignificant when compared to the amount of things outside of our control.

It happens when we travel. It happens in everyday life. It happens in our professions.

“We cannot control the external events around us, but we can control our reaction to them.” - Epictetus

How we choose to react is everything. Here are some ways we can actually do it.

Let’s use an example that our leadership team has just advised that the campaign budget is now reduced by 50%. However, the targets are to remain the same. (gulp!)

1. Start with an important question. Our first step is to ask ourselves whether the reduction in budget is within our control? Sometimes we may be able to push back, but let’s assume that in this case, it came from higher up and the answer is ‘no’. Then we can…

2. Accept our circumstances. This is about acknowledging that the situation isn’t ideal, but also accepting that we can’t control it. We must look at this the same way that we might look at bad weather on a day we had plans to go to the beach. We pivot.

3. Focus on what IS in our control. This is the important one. We have to push ourselves to find something that is within our control, and there is always one tried and trusted tool we can rely on - our attitude. That is always in our control.

4. Get creative. This is where we start looking at the problem/situation from a new perspective. We can look at the budget reduction as a huge frustration, or we can look at it as an exciting opportunity. Ok, budget slashed? Here’s an opportunity for Sally in design to step up with creative ideas so we don’t need to rely on the agency as much.

This approach might sound idealistic, but it can (and does) work. It’s designed to free our minds from the mental stress and anguish that is often associated with an irritating scenario. Most people will likely try to resist the inevitable, acting as if we have the capability to change the weather. Usually when that happens we find ourselves in complaining mode, rather than solution mode. The tools above are the most effective ways to get to solutions mode as quick as we can.

I teach workplaces and individuals the strategies we need to improve our resilience to support mental health. These are preventative ideas and practical tools, so that we can thrive when obstacles come our way. Book a free discovery call today. 

Until next time friends, stay resilient!

Carre @ Resilient Marketing Minds