You’d be 10X Happier If You Focused on What You Can Control

You’re leaving happiness on the table because you tie your emotions to things outside of your control.

You don’t have an overarching strategy that allows you to take the blows that life will inevitably throw at you.

But there’s a coach in the NBA who has a strategy for you.

The 95% rule — which, if applied correctly, can create a happier life without really physically changing anything.

You’ll learn to focus on what you can control and be happy, despite how the winds may blow.

Don’t focus on whether or not the ball goes in

Billy Donovan, coach of the Chicago Bulls, has a ‘95%’ philosophy.

In a game of basketball, 5% of your impact as a player is what happens when you have the ball in your hands. It’s a very important 5%, but you can’t always control what happens in that 5%. You might miss every shot you took that night; you might make every shot.

But nevertheless, that part is only 5% of the game.

And Billy believes too many players wrongly focus on that 5%.

“So [many] of these guys are unable to play their 95% because they’re so consumed with their 5%. And their 5% takes them to these incredible emotional highs and lows based on whether the ball goes in the basket.”

— Billy Donovan

By focusing on the other 95% of the game, you bolster your performance — despite what might happen in the 5%. When you get the 95% right, the 5% doesn’t have as much bearing on the outcome of the game.

What can you control as a player, so that you can guarantee a positive impact on the game?

You can’t control whether or not the ball is going in the basket tonight, but you can make sure you’re locked in defensively, that you’re sprinting for every loose ball, that you’re getting rebounds, that you’re pushing the pace to get your team up the floor.

You can also control your emotional state, you can control your leadership, you can control your attitude and your energy.

When you focus on the 5% in your life your life becomes miserable.

• Your car breaking down — why me?
• The bills all coming in at once — the world is against me.
• That embarrassing thing you did — I made such a fool of myself.

You’re like a player whose whole performance depends on whether or not the first shot goes in.

Your happiness is based on a dice roll — and that’s no way to live.

You want your happiness and peace to be calculated, repeatable and consistent — like clockwork.

So how do you make that happen?

How do you guarantee happiness in a volatile world?

Focus on what you can guarantee

“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”

— Stephen R. Covey

As the player can impact the game without directly putting the ball in the basket, you too can influence your happiness without everything falling perfectly into place.

To do this, you need to understand that the 5% will not always go your way, but you can fortify your happiness with the other 95%.

• You can’t control your car breaking down (5%)
• You can control having insurance, keeping emergency savings, and finding the best repair quote (95%)
  
• You can’t control if all the bills come in at once (5%)
• You can control your financial tracking — knowing when the bills come in, having money allocated, and paying promptly to avoid late fees (95%)
  
• You can’t control how others treat you (5%)
• You can control how you treat yourself (95%)
  
• You can’t control if you wake up feeling depressed or sad (5%)
• You can control your diet, your sleep schedule, your exercise and other good habits that make you feel better (95%)

There is always something within your control.

As long as you focus on this part of life, you’ll give yourself the best chance at influencing your happiness for the better.

Yes, the sea wind blows unexpectedly, but you can still control the sail.

And as long as you can control the sail, you can be at peace knowing you did everything you could.

And sometimes the wind will knock your boat over, but as you float in the water, you won’t regret anything.

Because you’re wearing a life jacket, and you have a protocol for getting back up onto the boat — because that’s all the 95%. The wind that knocked you over is only 5%.

Why allow the 5% to ruin the 95%?

“Don’t let one bad moment ruin your day. Think of it as a bad minute, not a bad day, and you’ll be OK. “

— John Geiger, The Angel Effect

When a player lets that 5% take their mind out of the game — they’ve lost.

They become a stumbling mess.

They don’t shoot when they’re supposed to, they take themselves out of the flow state. They’re in a constant state of self-consciousness and worry.

And when a person lets the 5% take their mind out of life — they too have lost.

They become stressed, rude, anxious, distracted and not themselves. They can’t treat their loved ones how they deserve to be treated. They can’t excel in life as they were created to do.

So, for you reading this now — focus on the 95%.

• Be the player who — regardless of whether or not the ball is going in the basket — plays hard, does the little things, and stays focused and positive.
• Be the person who — regardless of how many things have gone ‘wrong’ — stays positive, kind, optimistic, friendly and productive.

Why let the 5% ruin the 95%?

That’s like putting a mouldy tomato in a bag of fresh ones — you’re spoiling them all because of one bad one.

And where is the logic and benefit in that?

Throw the mouldy one way — and focus solely on the 95%.

If you do this, your life will transform.

Best of luck,

eren

Thank you for reading.

I’m just sharing the lessons learned on my path to building my Mental Fortress - an impenetrable and stable mind.

If you found it helpful, that’s great. I figured, why not share it with the world as I crystallise my own ideas.

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Sincerely,

Eren