Understand this, and everything about life will be better…

In the world of direct response, our success or failure is determined by something we have very little actual control over…  The response of the marketplace to our messages, to our offers, to what we are putting out there.

Frankly, in most areas of life, we have very little control over the response we get.  Especially when dealing with other human beings.

We can try to INFLUENCE response.  We can change what we are doing or putting out, and see how that impacts response.  But we can’t control that — or so much more in life.

And so it’s critical to pay attention to and know what you do have control over, versus what you do not have control over.

By knowing this, you can both make smarter decisions, and have healthier reactions in all of life’s situations.

Here’s some things you can control…

You can control what time you get up in the morning.

You can control what you eat.

You can control whether or not you work out or meditate, or do other things to take care of your physical and mental fitness.

You can control whether you ask for help when you need it.

You can control how much effort you put into today’s work.

You can control what percentage of time you let yourself be distracted throughout the day.

You can control many things about your environment, including who you choose to spend time with, and what activities you choose to do together.

You can control what opportunities you pursue, and what energy and effort you put into realizing them.

You can control what research you do, and the learning you do to perform well at your job.

You can control how hard you work.

You can control having the right equipment and supplies you have around you, and how you take care of them so they’ll be ready when you need them.

You can control your training and preparedness for whatever you will be taking on.

You can control the news, information, and opinions you consume on a daily basis.

You can control who and what sources you follow.

You can control where you focus your emotional and intellectual energy and intention.

You can control your input and output.

You can control how you treat others.

You can control what you bring to any given situation.

You can control your decisions and actions.

You can control you.

There are also a ton of things you can’t control…

You can’t control your birth.

You can’t control your genetics, or where you were born, or when you were born.

You can’t control the past, or the future.

You can’t control your family of origin, or your community or culture of origin.

You cannot control how people respond to what you put out.

You cannot control how others react to you, regardless of your desire or intentions.

You cannot control whether people like you.

You cannot control any feelings or thoughts others have about you.

You cannot control human nature.

You cannot control any laws of nature.

You cannot control how the market or economy behaves.

You can’t control the absolute course of society.

You can’t control the behavior of others.

You can’t control natural disasters or acts of God.

You can’t control if a war breaks out tomorrow, on the other side of the planet or in your back yard.

You can’t control if the market crashes in response to today’s Federal Reserve announcement.

You can’t control what resources are available in the world (but you can choose which you do pursue).

You can’t control someone’s response to your selling or marketing message.

You can’t control the market demand for your product.

You can’t control the thoughts or behavior of your loved ones.  (This is an especially hard realization as a parent!)

In fact, there are even thoughts and feelings that YOU HAVE that are a normal part of human existence, that you cannot control (this is what the Buddhists refer to as the “monkey mind”).

Learn to tell the difference, and your whole relationship to the world changes…

At a foundational level, you control your behavior and response to the world.

But you can’t control what’s outside of you, in any absolute sense.

This fundamental understanding actually removes a lot of what triggers dissatisfaction and unhappiness in life.  Because if you take control of, take responsibility for, and choose what you do and how you interact with the world, you can be confident knowing you gave your best, even if you don’t get the response or results you want from the world.

But there’s a deeper benefit.

Paradoxically, realizing you don’t control the world could give you more control over it.

That is, you know you don’t control politics.  But if you realize that you control you, your input and output, and your behavior, you could choose a career in politics.  And based on what you do (in your control) you can have an influence on others (outside of your control) and thus create impact.

Likewise, you don’t control the response the market will have to a given promotion.  But you can choose to test different things, and realize how what you put out there has influence.

Yours for bigger breakthroughs,

Roy Furr