Marcus Aurelius, often referred to as the last of the Five Good Emperors, was not only a Roman ruler but also one of history’s greatest philosophers. After recording episode 92 of The Books By Josh Audio Immersion, Progress You Don’t Always See, this felt like the perfect follow-up post. So buckle in and get ready to learn about a power you never realized you had..

The exact quote we’re learning from is: You have power over your mind, not outside events. In simple terms, this means focusing on what you can control instead of wasting energy on what you can’t. Think about it, your emotions shape your actions. How you feel affects how you respond, how productive you are, and how you show up in the world. Your mind is incredibly powerful, and depending on the state it’s in, it can either push you forward or quietly hold you back.

We’ve all heard of the law of attraction. This idea is similar, but more grounded. It’s not about wishing things into existence; it’s about mastering your internal state. I’ve spent years working in fields that deal directly with clients, and mindset plays a massive role. If I let one bad interaction bleed into the next, it changes how I treat people and more often than not, it costs me the sale. That’s a real-world consequence of losing control of your mind.

So how do you actually control it? For me, not allowing one bad interaction to carry over into the next became a skill I built over time. When something goes wrong, I take a deep breath, take a step back, and remind myself that the other person might just be having a bad day. I can’t control how their day went—but I can control the effort, patience, and professionalism I bring to the moment. That’s controlling the controllables.

This principle doesn’t stop at work. Life constantly throws situations at us that try to hijack our thoughts—traffic, bad news, rejection, social media, silence, failure. None of these things ask for permission before showing up. But here’s what Marcus Aurelius understood long before modern distractions: events themselves are neutral. It’s the meaning we assign to them that gives them power.

Our instinct is to react immediately. We replay the moment, imagine worst-case scenarios, and before we know it, we’ve handed over control of our mood, our energy, and sometimes our entire day. That’s the trap. The power isn’t in preventing bad things from happening it’s in deciding what they’re allowed to take from you.

Controlling your mind doesn’t mean ignoring emotions or pretending everything is fine. It means recognizing what you feel without letting it dictate your next move. You can feel frustrated and still act with intention. You can feel disappointed and still show up disciplined. That space between stimulus and response that’s where your real power lives.

This is why this quote matters. When you focus on what you can control—your effort, your attitude, your preparation you stop fighting reality. Instead of asking, Why did this happen to me? you start asking, What’s the best response right now? That shift alone can change outcomes.

Progress doesn’t always show up in obvious ways. Sometimes the win is invisible. Sometimes it’s simply not reacting the way you used to. Not letting one bad moment poison the next hour. Not letting someone else’s chaos become your own. That restraint, that discipline, is growth.

So the next time life throws something outside your control your way, remember this: you don’t need power over everything. You just need power over your mind. And once you truly have that, outside events lose their grip.

If this idea resonated with you, take a moment to pause the next time something outside your control tries to steal your energy. That pause is progress. And if you want more reflections like this—on mindset, books, writing, and the quiet wins we don’t always notice check out The Books By Josh Audio Immersion and follow along. Growth doesn’t always announce itself, but it’s always worth paying attention to.