Freaking Out Over Things You Can’t Control

Hello friends! I write to you all today with an issue I have. I’m sure a lot of you will relate to it. But first – a story!

I love acting. But as you probably know, it doesn’t always pay the bills. Which is why I also wait tables. There are a lot of things I like about waiting tables. You meet some really cool people, you tend to work with really cool people, and there are some days where you make a whooole lot of money. BUT…sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you barely make any money at the job you barely want to work at. I had a slow day earlier in the week where I made less money than I ever had since starting at this particular place. I was extremely annoyed and frustrated. How on earth am I going to keep going out with my friends if I’m not making money?! And what about my expensive acting classes that need money by the end of the month? Let’s not even talk about rent….

And then I stopped myself. I had to stop because I was more or less freaking out. This is not uncommon for me. I find myself in a less than desirable situation, only to realize that I’m getting upset over a situation that I have absolutely no control over.

So here’s a question for you: How often do you find yourself getting upset over something you have no control over? I used to freak out all the time about things like not getting the part, not hearing back from an audition, or the fact that my career just isn’t where I want it to be right now.

While it’s perfectly normal to get upset over these things (though be careful with the auditions –we waste SO much energy over this), we need to stop getting upset over things when we have zero control over them. “But Tony, I have so much passion and energy – that’s why I’m an artist! How on earth am I supposed to be honest and true to myself without expressing my emotions?!” First off, you’re preaching to me. I can’t tell you how many times I had to “express my emotions” this week when my internet stopped working. Second off, I have some solutions: I’m not saying we should ignore our anger and just pretend we’re happy. Because that’s not likely going to work. What we can try doing instead is acknowledging our emotions, but then trying to stay positive. Don’t get me wrong, this is NOT an easy thing. And honestly, I’m not very good at explaining how to do this.

Thankfully, there are people who are.  Chicago’s very own Courtney Rioux is one of them.  Right now, if you go to her page and sign up for her newsletter, you can receive a free 30 minute audio of “How To Be Happy No Matter What Life Throws At You.” Listening to this has made me realize just how angry I get over the stupidest things. I highly recommend it. She also has a fantastic blog that I recommend.

So, my friends, if you find yourself getting upset over things like I do (big or small), check out Courtney’s page. And let’s all do our best to try to stay happy. After all, if we keep getting upset over things we can’t control, how are we supposed to fix those things and be happy?? Well…we can’t. Because we can’t control them.

And with that, what are some of your solutions for getting upset over things you have no control over?