I do know a devout follower of New-Age spritiuality who tried to convince me that everything flows from thought. He pointed to a low garden fence and said the only way I could trip on it — aside from not paying attention! — is if I and everyone else *believed* the fence could block my way. I think that’s a bit… off the mark.

By the same token, I can’t control a lot of things that happen in my life, but I can limit the damage the bad things do and maximize the good things. I needed a reminder of that today and you provided it. Some people would call that fate or Karma… me, I think it’s serendipity.

@Bruce: “Yet another reminder to me that I need to be better at suspending judgment.”

Perhaps. On the other hand, I don’t have to agree with your perspective 100% (and I don’t always) in order to benefit from it.

I think that’s just a different way of saying “our thoughts create our own reality.” True, if you’re on a plane that’s going down in flames, thinking happy thoughts won’t do a damn thing to save you. On the other hand, there are large swaths of one’s life that are entirely within one’s control.

I’m glad I read this. Things have gone from bad to worse at work, I’ve been betrayed by a couple of people I’ve trusted, and I’m quite angry. I’ve narrowly averted sending some e-mails that would have been cathartic in the short-term but fatal for me in the long-term. I need to remember that as out-of-control as things seem, I have control over one person: me. And just because someone treats me badly doesn’t mean I am obligated to respond in kind.