Focus....................

 Some things are entirely up to you, while other things are not entirely up to you.  It's surprising to realize what falls into each category.  Entirely up to you are your considered judgments, your opinions, your goals, your adopted values, and your decisions to act or not to act—in essence, what you decide upon after reflection and deliberation.  Not entirely up to you is pretty much everything else . . .

Remember, then, that the only thing truly yours are those that are entirely up to you.  Everything else is on loan from the universe, and the universe may recall such loans at a moment's notice, in any number of ways.  It follows that if you put a lot of stake into things that are not ultimately up to you, you are bound to suffer, to envy, to be disappointed, and in general to depend on the vagaries of Fortune.  Yet, if you focus your efforts on what is up to you, you will go through life with serenity, approaching all that comes with equanimity, never envying anyone, and never being disappointed by the turning of the cosmos.

-Massimo Pigliucci,  A Field Guide To A Happy Life:  53 Brief Lessons For Living