Focusing Energy on Controllable Choices Yields Disproportionate Gains

Key Quotes

"We control our reasoned choice and all acts that depend on that moral will. What's not under our control are the body and any of its parts, or possessions, parents, siblings, children, country, or anything else with which we might associate."

Ryan explains that this quote from Epictetus defines the Stoic concept of the circle of control. Ryan clarifies that the only things truly within our power are our own choices and intentions, while external factors like our bodies, possessions, and relationships are beyond our direct influence.

"The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and what have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself, to the choices that are my own."

Ryan highlights this passage as a core principle of Stoicism. He emphasizes that the primary goal is to distinguish between what we can influence and what we cannot, directing our focus towards our internal choices rather than external circumstances to find what is good or bad.

"The good news is that it's pretty easy to remember what's inside your control. According to the Stoics, the circle of control contains just one thing: your mind."

Ryan simplifies the Stoic philosophy by stating that the entire scope of what we can control is our mind. He presents this as good news, suggesting that this singular focus offers clarity and reduces the complexity of managing our lives.

"If you've got 100 energy points, where are you going to spend them? Are you going to spend 50 of them on what's in your control and then 50 of them complaining about how you got there, wishing things were otherwise, trying to change things you don't control? Or are you going to spend all your energy on what you do control?"

Ryan uses this analogy to illustrate the concept of resource allocation within the circle of control. He argues that dedicating energy to things outside our influence is wasteful, whereas focusing on what we can control yields significant advantages and progress.

"They say that in Alcoholics Anonymous. These are people who have lived their entire lives, some of them are very successful, some of them have tried literally every other thing on the planet but this. I think to me that's just a humbling reminder of how much time, energy, life force is spent on things that we don't control."

Ryan points to the Serenity Prayer as used in Alcoholics Anonymous as an example of how difficult it is for people to distinguish between what they can and cannot control. He suggests that the widespread use of such principles indicates a common human tendency to expend significant effort on uncontrollable external factors.