“Our expectations are unrealistic when we try to change the unchangeable.”

A thought by Mike Bechtle from his book, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys (p. 46). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Now that is a fact that we want to live but it can be so difficult to do.

Mike says, “What can we control? Ourselves. What can we not control? Everything else.

“Our frustration comes from trying to control people and circumstances that are out of our realm of control. The key to surviving crazy people is to determine what we have control over and put our energy there. We can’t change others, but we influence them when we change ourselves.”

He later says, “Have you ever been angry with someone and couldn’t let it go? Maybe you were hurt in a relationship years ago and haven’t seen the person since. But you’re still living as a victim of that person’s behavior.

“Holding anger toward someone in that way is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.

“We need to become different people in our responses to others, building character traits that allow us to handle their craziness without becoming victims. When we become different, people will respond to us differently. But most importantly, we’ll have the strength of character and the boundaries that allow us to be emotionally healthy, no matter what others do.”

Again, “What can we control? Ourselves. What can we not control? Everything else.” 

So, working on what we can control is a very beneficial and smart thing to do, isn’t it?

Yes, yes!