Control: How to have all you want

Do you have control in your life?
How does it feel to have control? To have no control?
What do you do? How do you handle the emotions and feelings?
Let's explore...

First, a visualization... Consider the room you are in.

THE WALL OF NO CONTROL

The wall to the right of you is the Wall of No Control. On this wall are all the things in life that you have No Control over. What lives on this wall?

• The weather. We certainly have no control over that!
• Traffic. Again, no control.
  
• If you live in Grand Island, Nebraska... Trains! We have so many trains in this town AND train tracks to navigate around. When you have one stuck on the tracks, stopped - try controlling that!

Anything else?

• What about... other people. Once you figure out that other people live on the Wall of No Control and you accept that, your life will get oh-so-much-easier! One of the best things I got out of going to Al Anon meetings is my knowledge that this is so - I have no control over other people. I can try to influence...but I cannot control. We don't even have control over our children when they are small! Ever try to make a small child quit screaming?

How do you feel when you're in that place of No Control? Perhaps you feel scared, anxious, mad, sad... Because those aren't normally feelings we strive to have, let's keep reading.

THE WALL OF COMPLETE CONTROL

On the wall to the right, we had the Wall of No Control. And to the left of you is the Wall of Complete Control. On this wall are the things in life that you have absolute positive complete control over. What is on this wall?
.....
.....
I'm waiting....

• Y O U. That's it. What you say, what you think, how you feel, what goes into your mouth, what comes out of your mouth, your attitude, your actions. YOU. That's the bad news, right? No, that's the good news because you CAN control ALL of you.

You can control what you say. Each of us has the ability to think and then speak. Unfortunately, it's easier to "blurt" and oftentimes we say things that are not what we intend. Take a minute and THINK before you speak.

You can control what you think. What?! Yes you can. Choose to focus on the positive. Choose to look for the positive. Your brain is a computer that only does what you tell it to do and if you wake up and roll out of bed mumbling, "This is going to be an awful day," your brain will go about it's daily duties looking of EVERY AWFUL thing it can find! However, roll out of bed grateful and thankful for the opportunity to go about your business this day and your brain will LOOK for every wonderful blessing and joy there is in life. Honest!

You can control how you feel. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." How true! And no one can make you feel sad or mad or... even happy unless you choose to! These are YOUR feelings, no one else's. You control them. And how do you FEEL when you're in compete control? WONDERFUL, happy, joyous!
We HAVE control over the most important part of our lives - US!

THE VOID IN BETWEEN

More to ponder lies in knowing there is a void between this Wall of No Control and the Wall of Complete Control. Know that even when you can't control, you CAN adapt to the situation or influence the person.

• Live with the knowledge that there are things outside your control, but you can adapt.
• Live with the knowledge that there are people who may act in a way that you do not want, but you can influence.

And when it's all said and done, we have choice. Choice to be grateful and happy for the life we are given.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

How does it feel to have control over your life?