Control freaks asseeeeeeeemble.

As much as I sometimes take pride in being a Type A, "I get what I want", "I’m so stubborn" kind of person, I’ve learned that if I let that mentality run wild, I'm actively holding myself back from being the happy, go-lucky guy I'm meant to be.

Seriously.

It's time we find peace by accepting that we don’t have control over everything in our lives.

More so, it’s time to accept that not everything in our lives deserves to be controlled. Not everything deserves our energy or even a reaction.

Personally, I spend an exorbitant amount of time giving energy over to things I can’t control or reacting to things that challenge my Type A mentality.

- Uber driver takes a wrong turn: ugh.

- Client cancels a meeting: ugh.

- A date turns out to be a flop: ugh.

- Someone at work gives me attitude: ugh.

- Didn’t get that promotion: ugh.

- Chipotle is out of chicken. maaaaajor ugh.

Those things are all largely out of my control yet I constantly find myself stressing out over them, frustrated that I didn’t get my way, and in turn I give my energy over to people and situations that don’t deserve it.

But here’s a BIG truth I’ve slowly come to realize.

You don’t have to react to everything in your life.

You don’t have to react to everything that bothers you.

You don’t have to react to every situation that unfolds in front of you. You don't have to react to people who treat you unfairly.

You don’t have to be OK with what’s happening, but you seriously don’t have to give your energy to those things.

Reacting doesn’t change the outcome, all it does is give your energy away unnecessarily.

And I think we should all be suuuuuuuper protective of our energy because it's by hanging onto that energy that we can find peace in our lives. And peace is something I think we should all strive for.

Stop feeling the need to react to everything. That is how you find your inner peace. You don't have to go look for it. You don't have to go on a mountain retreat or meditate to find your inner peace. You just have to stop clapping back at life. You just have to stop reacting to everything.

Trust me... it's incredibly freeing once you learn to do this and it will become your superpower.

Albert Camus once referred to inner peace as summer when he said: "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer" and I don’t know about you, but I want to live summer all the time. I want that summertime, carefree, wind in my hair, margs by the pool mindset.

I want to be at peace, and if all it takes is choosing to not react to the things I normally do, I’m onboard. All inner pace means is no matter what's going on... you have unconditional confidence that you will be ok. When you’re at peace, you still have thoughts, you just don’t act on them. You don't let them consume you. You don't give your energy away to overthinking.

- You might get frustrated about something that doesn't go your way but you know that life is unpredictable and that’s to be expected. No need to react.

- You might want other people to like you and are annoyed when someone doesn't, but you know that your inner peace thrives from finding centeredness in loving yourself. No need to react.

- You might be disappointed in where you are in your career right now and feel that you've been overlooked and slighted, but you know that you can control where you energy goes. No need to react.

How you react to what happens in life is EVERYTHING.

Life is not about knowing everything. It’s not about fighting and always getting your way. It's not about controlling every outcome in your life. It’s about looking for answers and accepting what you don’t know when you don't know it. It’s about accepting what you’re still in search of.

And while you search, your life might be pretty crazy - filled with unexpected twists and turns, failures, rejections, inconveniences, people who frustrate you - but it’s in that chaos that we can find peace if we only choose to accept those moments for what they are - temporary. 

And temporary things don't always deserve a reaction or our energy.

There is peace in that and I hope you find it.