The very first tenet of Stoicism. original quote is from [[Enchiridion, Epictetus]]: > "Ta eph' hēmin, ta ouk eph' hēmin." In English, "Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us." Separate things into: 1. In your control 2. Out of your control 3. In your partial control (technically, makes this a *trichotomy* 🤓) Focus mainly on area 1, almost none on area 2. On area 3, internalize the goal (e.g. “do my best in a tennis match” as opposed to “win the tennis match”). This is the first habit of [[Book Summaries/The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey|7 Habits]]. It's heavily hammered home in [[Readwise/Books/Meditations|Meditations]], [[Guide to the Good Life, William Irvine(annotated)|Guide to the Good Life]] and [[Man's Search for Meaning]]. It's a very simple habit of mind that is surprisingly effective. #published 2025-03-05