Focus on What You Can Control

In my writing journey, there is one thing I have leaned on more than anything else: the Stoic philosophy I follow is simple in words: "focus on what you can control." Basically, this philosophy says that we should only worry about things that we have the power to influence, and accept the things that are beyond our control. Marcus Aurelius once said, "You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." As writers, it's so easy to get overwhelmed with things that are out of our control, like whether our book will get published, or whether people will like our work. But worrying about those things won't do us any good. Instead, we should focus on what we can control, like our writing habits and the quality of our work. Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, believed that little things matter, and that we should focus on our own actions, rather than external outcomes. He said, "Well-being is attained by little and little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself." So, if we focus on the little things that we can control, like writing a little bit every day, we can achieve our goals. James Clear in Atomic Habits echoes this in his statement about creating systems instead of focusing on goals. Don't focus on writing a book—instead, create a routine that makes you a writer. By focusing on what we can control, we can reduce stress and anxiety, and find joy in the act of writing itself. And that's what it's all about, right? Taking pleasure in the process, rather than obsessing over external outcomes. -Andrew The Indie Author Method