Some things in life are set in stone. You can talk, you can flail about and you can beat your head against what you want changed and it just isn’t going to give. That’s because there are things within your circle of control and things outside your circle of control.

For example, there’s a huge project coming up at work. Your boss will decide who to give it to. The final decision will be his. You can talk, you can showcase your talents and you can even come right out and ask him for it.

But if his mind is made up and the choice is not you, you’re not going to change his mind. The reason for that is because you don’t have the power to control what other people think, say and do.

It would be nice if you could, but it’s not going to happen. So what you want to be careful with is that you don’t waste your time fretting over and trying to change things that are outside of your circle.

This is the fastest way to build stress and pile up negative thoughts and emotions. The boyfriend or girlfriend you have who seems a little self-centered? You’re not going to change that person.

You can leave out a stack of self-help books for them to read. You can suggest videos, suggest they plan romantic gestures, and even drop bold hints. But it’s like they have no eyes to see and no ears to hear.

A lot of spouses do this. They drop hints and they spend years trying to change the other person and decades pass without it ever happening. You can’t change other people.

You can only accept them for who they are and if you can’t do that, then you have to distance yourself from them. This is a big thing in families because everyone has “that” relative who’s a pain to be around.

No amount of arguing or rehashing the same stuff every holiday is ever going to fix that person. So if you think someone else is the issue, you’re going to have to learn to change your reaction to them – because they’re not going to change.

And if they do, consider it a gift from the Universe – but the odds are a million to one that they’ll change. We make choices in life and not everyone is onboard with those decisions we make.

Some people don’t say a word about it, while others are quite vocal. This is especially true about parents. You might have heard the spiel. It goes something like this:

“Why don’t you get a real job? Why would you date him/her? You shouldn’t marry him/her. You should buy that car. You shouldn’t buy that car. You should rent. You should buy a house. You need to have children. You don’t need to have children. You should diet. You’re too skinny! Eat something.”

The list could go on because every one of us has parents who aren’t happy with every decision we make. You can work yourself into a frenzy trying to please your parents.

Or your spouse. Or your partner. Or your children. Or your boss. Or your colleagues. Or, you can live your life the way that you feel it should be lived. Without apologies.

You can make changes according to the way that you feel those changes should be made. You should never change something or make a decision just because someone else feels this is the way you should go with your life.

If it’s not your decision, you’re not doing it for you and you’re not going to be happy in the long run. Since you can’t control other people and how the react to your life, there’s only one thing you can concentrate on.

You.

You can only control your actions. You can control your actions with your own life. You can control your actions that impact your job, your home, your relationships.

You can also only control your own thoughts. You can’t control what someone else thinks about you or your actions. A lot of people waste precious time worrying about what someone else thinks.

Who cares?

It’s not their life. You only have one life and it’s a gift for you to enjoy, not them. You can also only control your reaction to someone else’s actions. You can’t help if someone is a jerk.

That’s their issue. But you can control your reaction. For example, if someone is having a high drama moment and they’re yelling and hopping around with a full steam of anger powering them, you don’t have to get defensive.

You don’t have to start snarling back at them. You can walk away because you’re the one in control of your own actions.

The Law of Attraction is an incredible tool that can help you morph into the person you want to be, living the kind of life you want to live. But you have to understand your part in the mystical equation and accept personal responsibility for how you make your dreams come true.