crossroads

Can’t Control the Outcome? Here’s What You Can Still Control

June 22, 20252 min read

Let’s be honest. Most of us like need control.

Especially when life has felt totally out of control—like when cancer hit and the ground shifted beneath your feet. You didn’t choose that diagnosis. You didn’t choose the fatigue, the uncertainty, the scanxiety. You didn’t choose any of it.

And it happened anyway.

But here’s something that might help you feel a little better—and a little less powerless: you don’t have to control the outcome to reclaim your power.

You just have to control your input.

Your choices matter. They shape your environment, your energy, your mindset. But they don’t guarantee a specific result. And when you’ve already done all the “right” things—lived healthy, made sacrifices, checked every box—getting slapped with cancer can feel deeply unfair.

It might even make you wonder, why bother?

Here’s why.

Because life isn’t a math equation. It’s not “if I do this, then I’ll definitely get that.”

It’s more like, “If I show up aligned with my values… if I set boundaries that protect my energy… if I fuel my body, mind, and spirit… then I increase the odds of getting what I want—even if I can’t control the outcome.”

And that’s what you can control. The inputs. The choices. The things that shift the odds in your favor.

So when the fear creeps in—about work, health, money, relationships—come back to this:

What’s the next right choice I can make, no matter the outcome?

Because your power doesn’t come from controlling everything.

It comes from controlling your choices. Your actions. Your responses. The things that influence—but don’t guarantee—an outcome.

And when you truly understand that, everything feels lighter and easier. Even cancer.

And you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here for you.


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Jill R. Rosenthal, M.D.

Dr. Rosenthal is an award-winning Harvard and Stanford educated physician who retired after a 35+ year career teaching and practicing medicine at Tufts Medical School and Group Health Cooperative/Kaiser Permanente and began a second career as a wellness and mindset coach, after experiencing her own medical journey and developing an interest in other areas of health and wellness. She provides premium coaching to help busy professionals and entrepreneurs rapidly release unconscious thoughts, emotions, and behavior patterns that block them and hold them back from their true greatness, so that they can easily achieve their goals without struggling or self-sabotage, allowing them to live the life they dream of, and deserve.

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