Life is made up of controllables and uncontrollables. I can control my future, but not my past. I can control my actions, but not what others think of them. I can control whether I bring an umbrella, but not whether it rains.
Why do we spend so much time worrying about what we can’t change? Who hasn’t ruminated over the past or been frustrated by what someone else thinks? Sometimes it informs us for what we can change: if it’s rained the last ten days, I’m going to bring my umbrella. But an excessive concern for uncontrollables isn’t healthy, since it takes the focus away from what’s possible and on to what’s impossible.
It is incredibly easy to fall into routines, and that can make it feel like we have less control over our lives than we actually do. What we can and want to change takes time and reflection to figure out. On the other hand, what we can’t change is usually glaringly obvious.
You will never run out of ways to become better and improve your future. Instead of focusing on the bad and the unchangeable, focus on the good and the changeable. There will always be things we can’t change, and there will always be many, many more that we can.