During our summer camping trips, Nicole and I played a lot of Gin.

We were pretty evenly matched, but each of us would find ourselves on a hot or cold streak from time to time.

During a particularly chilly series of hands I found myself being playfully derided by my wife, which led me to a profound and liberating realization:

I can’t control the cards, and the cards can’t control me.

I think we all find ourselves in circumstances we can’t control from time to time. 

The weather does what it wants. The healthiest people still get sick sometimes. Your vendors will raise their prices. Your favorite employee will move across the country. The economy will be a jerk. The power will go out or the  internet will stop working at the most inconvenient of times.

When you really get down to it, many of our circumstances are beyond our control.

Recognizing that we cannot exert control over the “cards” that are dealt to us is important, but equally important is the realization that those “cards” – those circumstances – can’t control us either.

Your response to the circumstance is up to you.

So, even when the cards absolutely betray me, I can enjoy playing Gin with my wife because that’s what I choose to do, win or lose.

I can’t control the cards, and the cards can’t control me.The new year is right around the corner and I want you to start 2025 with complete clarity about how you want your business to work for you. Grab my new PDF, 3 Questions Every Small Business Owner Should Answer Before The End of the Year, and you’ll not only be primed to clarify how to get more of what you want from your business, but you’ll have a chance to grab 90-minutes of free coaching with me.