You Can Only Control Yourself

This is a phrase that I use frequently each day with my students. I even used it today in church while talking to the senior primary children and I ofter repeat it to myself. I've said it for years and I'm not sure exactly where I picked it up, but today I read something very similar in the book Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams. The author is talking about the difference between judgment and judgemental. The gist of it is: we all should use good judgment, but being judgemental is never good. Anyway one of her characters says, "You can separate your reactions from [a sabotaging coworker's behavior]--and anyone's else's. Until you do, you'll keep giving away your power. You'll be just like a puppet, with no control of your own. Anybody, [including this coworker], will be able to pull your strings."

I really like the way that she characterizes it. We give away our power by reacting to others negativity. People can only "push our buttons" if we react to button pushing. In other words, "you can only control yourself".