Focusing on what's useful

I clicked a link to a list of 12 ways to live a better life, that The Washington Post lifted from 30 Lessons for Living - Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans, by Karl Pillemer. I guess he collected the best insights he gleaned from over 1000 senior citizens and summarized them into this book. The first one stopped me dead in my tracks and focused my attention in a useless direction for a few minutes.

But in my last round of therapy I learned that we tend to evaluate our happiness based on things that are beyond our control rather than on the drivers of our happiness that we can influence.  I've learned not to dwell on what I can't change. I'm doing okay on the rest of the list, and I'm doing the best I can to make the best of this one item, too.