Control in Your Life

When was the last time you searched for something that you knew you had but could not locate?  A few days ago I spent a lot of time looking for something important.  The good news is that I eventually found it.  The bad news is how long it took for me to find it.

As I looked for it I asked myself how much time I was wasting when I could be doing something else.  At least one person’s definition of efficiency is having what you need when you need it.  So I was not efficient and not in control. 

But this is on a personal level.  When you look around the world, you see so many things that you have no control over because someone or something else has been charged with making decisions in a certain area.  For example, you stop at a red stoplight because that is the law but someone else made a decision of how long you would be stopped there.  Local and state governments make all kind of laws for which you have little input except to vote for the officials who make the laws. 

You can also see global, international issues where you may have even less control.  Some of those conflicts may have a trickle-down effect for which you definitely do not have any control, for example, gas prices.

Some people get agitated or sad or depressed because they feel there isn’t anything they can do about these exterior circumstances.  But there is something you can do to feel like you have some control.  You can control yourself and your environment.

It sounds simple but you can overcome your feeling of lack of control in the world around you by controlling what you have control of.  You can control (to some extent) your time, activities, your responses to things, your self-care, and direct to some level your thoughts and feelings, among other things.  You can control your living space and your possessions. 

Feng Shui is the art of creating the best environment for yourself.  Clutter in your space creates mental noise which in turn can make you feel distracted, overwhelmed, behind in your tasks, and out of control.  When things in your life are organized, you can increase your focus, your overall well-being, self-efficacy, ability to think and concentrate, and relaxation level, and more. 

Many people feel overwhelmed in trying to create beauty from chaos.  There are many different approaches but most of them say that you start small.  One thing.  One little area.  One 10 minute job.  And make it fun.  Sometimes I give myself points for doing something or beating the time I thought it would take. 

So the next time, you feel out of control, reflect on how much control you actually do have in your life.  Recognize it and increase your control of what you have control of.  We all have the choice of how to live our lives. 

Finding the good in all things…

Celeste