“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Focusing on what we can control, and letting go of what we can’t is the primary teaching from philosophers like Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. They say that our control begins with our perspective and behavior, and ends with everything outside of that: other people, events, etc. Knowing this and hammering it into your psyche will lead to greater peace of mind and something akin to mindfulness. Blog post: http://memeandmeaning.com/?p=319#.WZpkhnd97Vo Podcast: http://memeandmeaning.com/?page_id=50#.WZnWV3d97Vo Website: memeandmeaning.com iTunes Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/meme-and-meaning/id1262844280