Detach from Outcomes

SAGe (Self-Actualized Genius)—Learn More

July 20, 2025

Sunday SAGe Volume 44: Detach from Outcomes

Here is this week’s installment of Sunday SAGe, an email communication that shares wellness inspiration from The Wellness Ethic to help people thrive during the coming week (and beyond!).

This week, we’ll explore outcomes and how your mindset toward them can have a significant impact on your happiness.

Detach from Outcomes

An excerpt from The Wellness Ethic:

A Stoic understands that they always have control over their response to a given situation but not necessarily the outcome of that response.

Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our actions.

—Epictetus, Greek Stoic philosopher

The Stoic chooses responses to life that align with their values and have the most potential to create a positive outcome. That is what they control. If the actual result is out of their control, they emotionally detach from it.

That doesn’t mean they don’t care. They still do everything they can to achieve an objective, but they won’t sacrifice their mental well-being for a result beyond their control. They emotionally invest in what they own, which is their mindset and their actions.

What It Means

When you set specificity to an intention, ensure it is largely within your control.

You can control the effort you put into studying for a test, but you can’t control the actual test score you get. You can control how you train for a sporting event; you can’t control winning the competition. You can control positioning yourself to get a promotion at work, but you can’t control actually getting the promotion.

In my life, I have fun dreaming about being dealt a royal flush in my pursuits, but I won’t put my satisfaction in the dealer’s hands. That’s why, with my book The Wellness Ethic, I defined my dream by what I controlled: publishing a book representing my best attempt to articulate my vision, not how many books I sold. Selling a lot of books would be nice, but it’s not required to be fulfilled with my writing journey.

Your Call to Action

Take a look at what you’re trying to accomplish in your life, whether it’s personal or professional. Do you have a healthy and realistic perspective toward your desired outcomes? Are they within your control? If not, then how do you want to reframe them so you position yourself for a result that you’re genuinely happy with?

Have a peaceful week!