What Is Inside My Control?

I have been listening to a lot of podcasts lately and the underlining message in many of them has been "Control what you can."  This is also something I tell my players on a daily basis.  It seems like a simple concept, but it is hard to put into practice.  Stress tends to be caused by trying to control things that are outside of our realm.  I have come to the conclusion that I do not want to endure another stressful year like this past one, so I am on a mission to control everything that I can in order to make my life less stressful.  My focus and drive will be on things inside my control.  There is no purpose spending time worrying about things that I cannot fix.  Again, it seems like a simple concept, but it is a hard philosophy to live.

Items Inside My Control
1.  What time I go to bed, what time I wake up and how much sleep I get.

2.  Including exercise into everyday.

3.  Including Bible Study into everyday.

4.  Making time to read everyday.

5.  Spending quality time with my husband, family and friends.

6.  Building strong relationships with those around me.

7.  Creating a classroom atmosphere that includes high standards, positive behavior and manners.

8.  Making sure I eat healthy foods and focus on water intake and fruits/vegetables.

9.  Staying on top of grading every week, so deadlines are easy to meet.

10.  Keeping my desk and classroom organized.

11.  Planning ahead and being prepared ahead of time for projects and lessons.

12.  Using my time wisely and staying ahead of deadlines.

13.  Creating positive relationships with my students and coworkers.

14.  Posting to our class website daily/weekly, so it does not pile up.


Do you control what is inside your control or do you try to fix things that are outside of your control?