Control the Controllables: Getting Through A Time of Chaos
I was lucky enough to get to check out Keith Blackborg’s Passive Investor Event in Dallas last October. For those who don’t know him, Keith built an amazing community of “millionaires next door” as per the famous book by Stanley. This event was one sharing learnings and best practices of investing in different asset classes and tax protection as well. I came as part of my friend Swen Lorenz’s extended global investing community.
In one of the talks, the global investor and Jim Rogers of alternative investing, Cody Shirk shared some ideas and general thoughts. It went a bit serious but he was right. It is chaotic out there. The world has gone nuts. The American economy has turned into a casino & there is literal civil war in America. Not the shooting and killing war yet but a psychological one. Who isn’t stressed or mad these days in America. “No challenges and no North stars” and that is why Americans seem lost. Life is too good. Too much comfort.
He further adds as an investor:“No one has an information edge, all you can do is manage your time & emotions.” And I'd add, manage your energy.
Entrepreneur and investor David Cummings talked about “controlling the controllables”. His article is excellent: https://davidcummings.org/2025/10/04/control-your-controllables/
He uses sales as an example & writes way better than I do: “Take sales as an example. Naturally, the sales team wants to close a certain amount of revenue each month or quarter to hit quota and move the startup forward. The challenge with measuring purely on output is that output is driven by inputs—many of which include factors outside of your control.
So let’s look at sales through the lens of control your controllables.
Can we guarantee a certain amount of revenue? No.
Can we guarantee a certain number of phone calls and prospect follow-ups? Absolutely.
Can we guarantee that every inbound lead will be followed up on within a set amount of time? Absolutely.
Can we guarantee consistent outreach to key partners so we stay top-of-mind in the market? Absolutely.
In this simple example, we know that sales has measurable inputs: the number of phone calls, follow-ups, demos, proposals sent, and deals won. The deeper you go into the funnel, the more outcomes are outside of your control. But by consistently executing the inputs, you significantly increase the likelihood of hitting the outputs.”
The point is to focus on your locus of control. Sure, understand what is happening in the world. It’s very useful. Ignorance is not bliss in global macro, geopolitics and competitive analysis. But you cannot do anything about it. It’s so easy to get unhinged or rage baited on social media or by reading the news.
David Cummings wisely writes: “Entrepreneurs would do well to remember this: control your controllables. What’s within your power? What’s outside of it? How can you keep your team focused on what they can control—and not distracted by what they can’t?”
And it’s not just entrepreneurs, its investors, it’s all of us. Ignore the noise, take action, learn, and control the controllables!