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Controllable Factors

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Video Summary

Video Transcript: When dealing with the complex situations we face in life, its often useful to separate our problems into factors we can control, and factors we cannot. Thinkblocks can help you think clearly about problems by making distinctions tangible and expressing subtle relationships. Label two ThinkBlocks CAN CONTROL and CAN’T CONTROL.  Label a third ThinkBlock with your problem and aim its reflective perspective surface at your playspace.  Our example is climate change, but you can explore any problem.  Now label smaller ThinkBlocks with the factors that contribute to your problem.  Place the factors that seem within your control in the CONTROL block, and the one’s that seem out of your control in the CAN’T control block.
This can help you think clearly about where to focus your attention when solving a problem. Identify any relationships that exist between the factors, and make them explicit with a labeled TB. By making these implicit relationships explicit, you’ve shown that distinct factors can influence each other. This exercise helps you explore the fine boundary between controllable and uncontrollable factors, helping you to discover new ways to refine your solutions to complex life problems.

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