Good luck? Maybe. Bad luck? Maybe.

“Accept what fate gives you

outside of your own power of choice.” 

Marcus Aurelius wrote the above. As Buddhists, we also speak of acceptance. There are things we cannot change, like decisions made by others. But there are things we can change—our mindset and habits, for example. By accepting that we cannot control or change what others are doing, we can stop wasting time fussing over them.

Try telling yourself this: What’s the point! Fussing will change nothing. I am wasted. My energy is drained. And time, so little of it available, is gone. Yes, I will accept. No more fussing, no more wasting of time. Instead, I will use it to work on things I want to work on, things within my power to change. Like all those pesky bad habits! I will no longer be negative. I will exude a positive frame of mind. Yes, the things over which I have the power to change have proven unyielding in the past, but I am not giving up. I am just as determined as they are stubborn.  

Miles ahead of pointless fussing.

Lacking understanding in our practice, we’re just going through the motions.

How to be prepared for anything.

What do I do if . . .?” “But what if . . . ?” “That’s all well and good for you, but what should I do if . . . ?” 

The answer to all the highly stressful questions is—calm your mind. Yes, staying calm is a good first step.

Wanting to be prepared and hoping to act prudently, we find ourselves tempted to imagine various scenarios so that we can plan how to respond to them. The problem is, life’s preplanned solutions very rarely (if ever!) pan out. While we spent time preparing for one scenario, another occurs that varies just enough for our plan to become useless.

It would be much better to spend our time calming our mind so that we remain calm and ready regardless of the situation. 

When the mind is tranquil, there is no panic. 

Not panicking, we are better equipped to consider the situation. 

Considering the situation calmly, we have a better chance of not making mistakes. 

By avoiding mistakes, we will spend less time trying to undo any harm we might do. 

All this from having a calm mind.