Placing our energy on things that we can’t influence is a common cause of stress in our personal and professional lives.

No wonder Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ has sold more than 25 million copies in 40 languages worldwide, and remains one of the best selling nonfiction business books in history. Covey’s Circles of Concern and Influence provide a timeless tool for any internal battle that’s causing us stress.

Whether you’re religious or not, the serenity prayer (or message) is also wise advice that reminds us to ‘accept the things we can’t change, change the things we can and have the wisdom to know the difference between the two’ if we want to be serene, calm or peaceful.

Take any situation – work or non-work – and separate what you CAN influence from what you CAN’T, and then focus on what you CAN. 

Why not give it a go now? Grab a piece of paper and some coloured pens. Anyone else love a sharpie? No just me…  

Or try it in a team meeting with a flipchart and post-its and get everyone involved to work through a shared challenge. 

With practice, you’ll be able to ditch the paper and pens and add the tool to your resource bank of mental fitness skills.