Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.

Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. – Epictetus

What can you do? Every line is a long one, and which ever one you chose will be the slowest. Will you be grumpy because you can’t change the situation, or instead, will you do your best to make the best of the situation?

What does that mean?
This is another great Stoic quote. It starts out by admitting that there are things that are outside of our ability to control, or even modify in any way. While the most obvious examples are forces of nature, there are plenty of other things in life that are outside our power.

But the quote specifically says to concentrate on doing the best you can with what you have in your power to do. To use an old cliché, if life is giving you lemons, open a lemonade stand, right? Make the best of every situation. Do what you can to help yourself and (by extension) others. Be responsible for your actions, and be careful not to hurt others.

Then take what’s left, which is the things you cannot do much (or anything) about, as gracefully as can be managed. This could be things completely beyond human power, or it could simply be something beyond your experience or ability to make sense of.

Why is being able to take what happens important?  
Let us start by admitting that we cannot control every aspect of everything in our lives. In doing so, we are admitting that there are things beyond our control. What are we to do when one of these things that are beyond our ability to control occurs?

We could throw a tantrum. We could kick and scream and pound our fists and cry. But would that help our situation in any manner, or would it just make us look like a two year old who was having a bad day? It might not be pleasant, but we must take what happens and put our best face on.

By dealing with things beyond our control in a controlled and mature manner we not only show grace under pressure, but can serve as an inspiration or an example for others to try to imitate. In this manner, we can help reduce global whining. Sorry, that was too good to pass up.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Where can you apply ‘making the best use of what is in your power?’ How about everywhere, all the time, with everyone, on every subject? Really, this quote is about being the best you that you can be. It’s about applying yourself to each situation, and doing the best you can.

It’s about attempting to get the best result you can, all day, every day. Getting things done, to the best of your ability. Turning lemons into lemonade and lemonade into friendships and cash. Making the best of even a bad situation, that’s what the quote is urging us to do.

It’s also about taking personal responsibility for the outcomes you get out of life, because you are the only one with the power to make things happen. Others can help, but it’s up to you to get it done, in a manner that is consistent with your values, and your goals.

And in those situations when you can’t make something happen, the quote asks you to show some quiet dignity. Your behavior, that is also part of your responsibility, isn’t it? And there are few things as sad as an allegedly grown adult behaving like a bratty kid, right?

An example might be grocery shopping. How much more mundane can you get than that? But what if you find that they are out of a key ingredient for what you were planning to prepare? How are your powers of adaptation? Can you bend the recipe to work with other ingredients?

Can you come up with a substitute item, and a list on such short notice? And if you can’t, do you yell at the stock boy until one of you is crying? Or do you try another grocery store? There are options, there are things that are within your power, right?

What about trying to get your food, and then leave with the smallest bill you possibly can? Are you able to use coupons, special offers, or rebates to your advantage? Which brand has a better price? And what about size? Can you save a little by buying in bulk? Can you freeze some of it, or are you able to can some of it?

Then there is check-out. There are always lines. And the one you’re in seems to always be the slowest one. And then the person in front of you is having problems with the cashier, or the scanner is misbehaving, or the register runs out of paper, or the drawer is out of pennies.

How do you react? Do you get irritated? Do you get agitated? Do you get irate? Do you lose your cool? Do you mutter under your breath? Do you yell and shout? Do any of those activities make the situation better for anyone? Do any of those activities make anyone feel better about themselves?

If there is no gain to be had, why waste the time, effort, energy, sanity, or anything else? Just sit tight and take a deep breath (even better, a short breathing meditation). Then when it’s your turn, and the cashier apologizes, just smile and say it was nothing.

Consider how much you just gained. You come out the hero, not the heel. You have remained calm, and helped the cashier feel better as well. All over a situation that you couldn’t do anything about anyways. Or did you just make the best use of what was in your power? Hmmmm, could it possibly be both?

From: Twitter, @philo_quotes
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/epictetus384552.html
Photo by Jellaluna