Let me start with what I think is one of the most empowering statements that allows us to live a balanced happy life. This is the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr, which says,

...grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference…

For most of my life, I enacted the Serenity Prayer in reverse. I was trying to change the external things over which I had no control (e.g., other people and life events) rather than focusing on my own internal process, over which I have some control. Having control to a certain degree is fine, but trying to control something or somebody over which I have no control is........

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