Not everything is in our hands. Sometimes, we should just let things be and simply go with the flow. We should learn to let go of the things that we cannot control and stop overthinking them.
25 Things We Can’t Control
1. How other people treat us
We cannot control how other people treat us. It is not in our hands and according to our needs. If we need them to treat us right, they will actually treat us right. Sometimes due to certain circumstances, people do bad things, and they do not respect us enough to treat us nicely. Such people should be cut off and not kept in life. We should not waste time confronting them too.
2. The future
The future is yet to come, and no one exactly knows what is going to happen to them. In that case, just thinking way too much can be bad as it can cause severe anxiety to us. No one decides the future themselves, and there is no way anyone can control the outcome. So, in that case, constantly worrying about the future will not be helpful.
3. The past
The past has happened already, and hence nobody can actually go back into it and change things. It is definitely not recommended to stay in the past. Let the past be past and look forward to the future and try not to repeat the patterns that you used to indulge in. We cannot alter our past, but we can ruin the present by worrying about our mistakes.
4. Others’ mistakes
Others’ mistakes do not reflect us. It actually reflects their personality and how they are. It is not up to us if they would not make any mistakes. It is their own call what they decide to do. It is easy to judge others’ mistakes but difficult to recognize our own mistakes, so instead of looking into others’ mistakes, we should actually focus on our own mistakes and try to correct them.
5. The outcome of our efforts
The way we cannot change our future, we cannot change the outcome of our efforts. The efforts that we make for others can only be recognized if the other person actually wants them. If they are not the kind of person to appreciate people, they would never appreciate our efforts also, no matter how much we do for them. We just can do our best to maintain the efforts.
6. Other people’s motives
We do not know what exactly others’ intentions could be with us. We can only try to trust them, and the rest actions will let us know someday whether their intentions are pure or not. Other people’s motives can be good or bad according to their own needs, and we cannot decide what their intentions would be. One can only be in control of their own actions.
7. Change
From time to time, there will be changes in our lives, and we cannot say no that we do not want it. Everyone needs change in their lives as it brings a positive impact. Change is meant to be embraced, not neglected. Change can actually be good for us, and it will happen when it is meant to happen. It is not in our hands to change the outcomes of things.
8. What others think
How others perceive us is not up to us, and we cannot make them think any other way. It is their own thought process and totally depends on them how they think of us. Others may think anything about us based on their own judgment, but it is we who can just try to be better people without thinking about the consequences. So don’t try and just live your life and be happy.
9. Other people’s beliefs
What other people’s beliefs are is according to them. They can only choose what things they would believe in. Just as when we have belief in something, no person can tell us whom to believe; in the same way, we cannot control their belief system. Some people might not have a belief in things we have; in that situation, we cannot actually force them to do so.
10. When other people die
We need to remember the fact that people die every day. It is written already who will die at what time. We cannot control this natural process of life. We do not have to think too much about the consequences and simply just try to spend as much time as possible surrounding ourselves with the people we cherish the most, as someday we won’t get these moments back and will miss not doing enough.
11. If people like or dislike you
Everyone’s way of perceiving you as a person is different. Some may really like who you are, whereas some may really despise who you are. You cannot control their judgmental thinking toward you. People only like you till you bring comfort to them. Otherwise, many people start to dislike you the moment you do not act according to their terms.
12. Other people’s actions
Other people’s actions are totally not your call. A person will only do what they think is good for them at the moment. No matter how hard you try to change a person, it is a tendency of a human being to do exactly more of what he is told not to do. You simply cannot control their actions and definitely not the outcomes that they are going to face due to those actions.
13. Other people’s feelings
Everyone has their own way of feeling things or situations, and you simply may not be able to control their feelings towards you or anyone else. There are some situations in your life where you like a person, but that person does not like you back; meanwhile, that person likes some other person the same way you like them. You do not have to feel disheartened by it as such feelings are quite natural, and they can be towards anyone.
14. Other people’s thoughts
Other people’s thoughts are exactly who they are as a person, and no one can try to change that even if they try. In the end, a person’s thinking can only be sometimes influenced, but you cannot just change it completely unless he actually wants to change them. You can only control your thoughts and actions.
It is actually not in us to control who we are related to. It is not like we were asked before we were born. We have got no choice but to choose which family we should be born into. So do not stress too much about this fact if you do not like someone from your family. You can just avoid them whenever they are near you or just try to.
16. The weather
It is quite obvious that no one can control the weather. The weather changes on its own, and various living organisms have an influence on it, but you cannot just completely change it whenever you want to. So learn to embrace all kinds of weather. You cannot change it, so you might as well learn to enjoy it while it lasts, as every weather has its own specialty and beauty.
17. Natural disasters
Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, etc., cannot be controlled by any human being. We really cannot stop natural disasters from happening; one can only hope to contain them. We can only take preventive measures when these situations occur and hope that the damages are not much.
18. The passing of time
We cannot control the passing of time, as time that is once gone can never come back. Might as well try not to waste time and utilize it as much as you can while you are still getting it. Learn how to use your precious time on only people who are worth giving your time to. Do not just waste it on people who would never value it.
19. When you die
Nobody really knows when they are going to die. It is something that is going to happen to all of us, but no one exactly knows when it is going to arrive. We can only hope that we did well enough in this world not to regret in the end that we could have done more. Learn to give time to precious people in your life, as you might never know when is the last time you’re going to talk to them.
20. Your physical needs
It is quite natural that your physical needs cannot be controlled. Physical needs such as hunger, thirst, and want to feel affection and love cannot be something that one can suddenly stop feeling. It is a basic need of a human being that can be fulfilled by the man himself. Thus, one can only fulfill this desire every time one feels it instead of trying to control it, which is kind of impossible.
21. Whether you hold onto grudges or let go of them
It sometimes gets hard to let go of the grudges when a person has betrayed you badly and lost all your trust in people after them. You cannot control who you have a grudge against as it is simply according to the mindset. You can either choose to forgive them and move on peacefully, or you can keep on holding onto that hatred towards them.
22. Traffic
You cannot just randomly control the traffic. It works according to traffic signals and rules. It is not up to you to just move the vehicles according to your need. When there is a traffic jam in the area which you are in, you cannot do anything but wait in line just like the rest of the people along with you. When the signal shows, the vehicles will move according to it.
23. Other people’s happiness
Other people’s happiness is not a matter of your hands. You can never control their happiness. You simply cannot make everyone happy at the same time around you, as everyone is different from each other, some may feel happy around you, and some may not. You do not have to act like a people pleaser just to see them happy.
24. The things that have already happened
You cannot change whatever has already happened. Instead of trying to sulk over bad situations, try to gain back your strength and be ready to move on fearlessly. These are just bad times, and you will learn to deal with them through the passing of time. One cannot go back in the past and change some scenarios according to our likeness.
25. The inevitability of you getting hurt
It is inevitable that you never get hurt in life. There will always be good days as well as bad days. It is totally up to you how you are going to deal with the bad days. It is truly a tragedy that one would never ever know that they are going to be hurt very badly, yet we keep on trying to stay happy. The hurt will not exactly go away, but you will learn to live with it.
So, instead of trying to control things that are not actually in our hands, we should remember one thing the universe will keep on going whether we like things or not. Not every time can the situation go in our own way, and we simply cannot keep on complaining about it. We need to learn how to let go of things and just move on.
