Epictetus opened his handbook with one clean cut: some things are up to us, and some are not. Our opinions, efforts, and reactions are ours. Other people's moods, the weather, the outcome of things, are not. Most of our stress comes from gripping the second pile as if effort could control it. You can want a thing, work for it, and still hand the result back to life. That isn't giving up. It's putting your energy where it can actually do something. Today, when worry rises, ask quietly: is this mine to carry? If not, you can set it down.

Inspired by the old idea of dichotomy of control. Written by Ugo Charles.