The problems we face fall in one of three areas; direct control (problems involving our own behavior); indirect control (problems involving other people’s behavior); or no control (problems we can do nothing about, such as our past or situational realities). Changing our habits, changing our methods of influence and changing the way we see our no control problems are all within our Circle of Influence. So whether a problem is direct, indirect, or no control, we have in our hands the first step to the solution.
Daily reflections for highly effective people, stephen r. covey.
The thing I love about this is that all three of these things: “changing your habits, changing your methods of influence and changing the way you see your no control problems” are choices.
It’s very difficult to just ‘get rid of’ negative habits, that’s a common mistake. But instead, you can replace negative habits with positive ones.
You can choose to influence people with either selfish, or generous behavior.
Finally, you can choose to be a victim of circumstance, or the master of what you do with today.
The Healthy Path 