Many of you work in organizations that you KNOW need to change. There are glaring, critical aspects of the business that need to be overhauled, yet certain people refuse to do so. I know this, you and I talk…I like our discussions. In order to be competitive in 2010 and beyond, many strategies and actions need to change. This is a repositioning year for many businesses. Remember that as the economy improves, we must position ourselves to take advantage of future opportunities. If you are not positioned correctly, opportunities can be missed and, voila, you are behind the eight-ball. The predicament is: we typically cannot change everything that we believe needs changing. The desire to change things, coupled with the inability to do so can lead to a maddening work life. As such, I have created a simple, yet effective, grid for you to consider in your work world. Take a step back from your situation and attempt to look at your business, department, etc. in an objective way. As you do so make a list of items that you can control (i.e., change to your liking), items that you can only influence, and things that you cannot change. Then focus on, you guessed it, the areas which you can control or influence. Acknowledge the areas that you cannot change and live with them. I have summarized this exercise in the table that appears below. Give it a try and see if it doesn’t elevate your level of focus and reduce your psychosis.