--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being in control of your life and having…" description: "\"Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/marilu-henner-14158_challenges_being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having_3061181.jpg" --- # Being in control of your life and having realistic… ![“Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” quote by Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/marilu-henner-14158_challenges_being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having_3061181.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/marilu-henner-14158_challenges_being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having_3061181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/marilu-henner-14158_challenges_being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having_3061181.jpg) > “Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Control and realistic expectations are key to stress management and a happy life. **In simple terms:** Realistic expectations reduce stress. Key Takeaway Set realistic goals, manage stress. Themes stress management expectations wellbeing life balance Mood calm practical Type self-help wellness When to use this quote - daily planning - therapy - work‑life balance Key Concepts psychology self-care Questions to Reflect On - What expectations are unrealistic? - How to adjust expectations healthily? A Different Perspective Over‑control can cause rigidity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Control of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-of-your-life/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Realistic expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realistic-expectations/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Stress management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress-management/) [Stress relief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress-relief/) ## Related quotes > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [“Take work as a game and enjoy it. Everything is a challenge. Just don’t go on doing it, dragging yourself because it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/take-work-as-a-game-and-enjoy-it-everything-is-a-challenge-just-don-t/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [“Our culture encourages us to plan every moment and fill our schedules with one activity and obligation after the next, with no time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-mosier/our-culture-encourages-us-to-plan-every-moment-and-fill-our-schedules/) [Holly Mosier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-mosier/) > [“Drop the fear. What you fear most, can be a repeated theme in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/drop-the-fear-what-you-fear-most-can-be-a-repeated-theme-in-your-life/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [“Many times people living on street become source of inspirations. 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As my thinking changed, my experience changed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/how-to-turn-stress-on-its-head-rani-bora/i-soon-realised-that-just-because-it-appeared-that-way-didn-t-mean-it/) How to Turn Stress on Its Head Rani Bora > [“Nothing is permanent in this world. Everything is changing, so no matter what problem or issue you are having in your life at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-is-permanent-in-this-world-everything-is-changing-so-no/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“Stress-free moments certainly exist, but that is the extent of it. People, who have bought into the idea of a stress-free life, believe they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudjon-bergmann/stress-free-moments-certainly-exist-but-that-is-the-extent-of-it/) [Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/) ## More by Marilu Henner > [Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/silence-and-solitude-are-more-distracting-to-me-than-chatter-and/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [You just have to stoke that furnace throughout the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/you-just-have-to-stoke-that-furnace-throughout-the-day/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [After 19 years of experimenting, a thousand mistakes, over 400 books, at least 200 bad diets... and a partridge in a pear tree, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/after-19-years-of-experimenting-a-thousand-mistakes-over-400-books-at/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Its better to pace yourself throughout a big day like Thanksgiving by having something healthful for breakfast and something light for lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/its-better-to-pace-yourself-throughout-a-big-day-like-thanksgiving-by/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I'm a girl who loves to share information, especially empowering, life-changing, information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-m-a-girl-who-loves-to-share-information-especially-empowering-life/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I play the unsinkable Molly Brown, which is where she got her name from, because she survived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-play-the-unsinkable-molly-brown-which-is-where-she-got-her-name/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I love the way men smell. I love the way they taste, their texture, the way they're built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-love-the-way-men-smell-i-love-the-way-they-taste-their-texture-the/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Wherever my career takes me, I know I'll love getting there, because ever since I was 2 1/2 years old, I knew that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/wherever-my-career-takes-me-i-know-i-ll-love-getting-there-because/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I eat all of the time... at least five little meals a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-eat-all-of-the-time-at-least-five-little-meals-a-day/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Healthful whole foods improve our brain function as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/healthful-whole-foods-improve-our-brain-function-as-well/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I took anatomy classes. I went to medical libraries and talked to doctors and nutritionists. I did the whole thing before using myself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-took-anatomy-classes-i-went-to-medical-libraries-and-talked-to/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Often when a person can't get past stress, she will turn to overeating, drinking or smoking, which can become a greater problem than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/often-when-a-person-can-t-get-past-stress-she-will-turn-to-overeating/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [However, don't let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/however-don-t-let-perfectionism-become-an-excuse-for-never-getting/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [I like getting up early. I get up around five.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/i-like-getting-up-early-i-get-up-around-five/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [You know, one of the biggest thrills that I have is when famous people recognize me from "Taxi." When I was working with George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/you-know-one-of-the-biggest-thrills-that-i-have-is-when-famous-people/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) [Explore all 47 Marilu Henner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) ## More Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilu Henner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having-realistic-expectations-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Challenges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having-realistic-expectations-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/marilu-henner-14158_challenges_being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having_3061181.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/marilu-henner-14158_challenges_being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having_3061181.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/marilu-henner-14158_challenges_being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having_3061181.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the…” — Marilu Henner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marilu Henner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being in control of your life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having-realistic-expectations-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/being-in-control-of-your-life-and-having-realistic-expectations-about/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```