--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a lot of stuff we can't control…" description: "\"There is a lot of stuff we can't control, but it is completely in our power to decide what the definition of what a good job is. That's up to us.\" — Mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-rowe-9504_control_there-is-a-lot-of-stuff-we-can-t-control_2817126.png" --- # There is a lot of stuff we can't control, but it is… ![“There is a lot of stuff we can't control, but it is completely in our power to decide what the definition of what a good job is. That's up to us.” quote by Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-rowe-9504_control_there-is-a-lot-of-stuff-we-can-t-control_2817126.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-rowe-9504_control_there-is-a-lot-of-stuff-we-can-t-control_2817126.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d44/mike-rowe-9504_control_there-is-a-lot-of-stuff-we-can-t-control_2817126.png) > “There is a lot of stuff we can't control, but it is completely in our power to decide what the definition of what a good job is. That's up to us.” [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We cannot control many external factors, but we can choose how we define a good job for ourselves. **In simple terms:** We control our definition of a good job. Key Takeaway Define your own success criteria. Themes self-determination career values Mood reflective empowering Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - job search - career change - entrepreneurship - daily work decisions Key Concepts definition agency personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What criteria do you use to judge a job? - How does redefining work affect your motivation? A Different Perspective May overlook external constraints like market reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [I always focus on the stuff that I can control, and what's for me, is for me, and no one can take that away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-belair/i-always-focus-on-the-stuff-that-i-can-control-and-what-s-for-me-is/) [Bianca Belair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-belair/) > [As long as you can worry about the stuff you can control, that's always best for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-crawford/as-long-as-you-can-worry-about-the-stuff-you-can-control-that-s/) [Jamal Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-crawford/) > [“It's better to have no control and be in the center of God's plan for your life than have total control and be completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisa-hope-wagner/it-s-better-to-have-no-control-and-be-in-the-center-of-god-s-plan-for/) [alisa hope wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisa-hope-wagner/) > [“The only guarantee, ever, is that things will go wrong. The only thing we can use to mitigate this is anticipation. Because the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-only-guarantee-ever-is-that-things-will-go-wrong-the-only-thing/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Self-control is completely necessary for increasing and raising your attention level. One of the places you practice that is at work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/self-control-is-completely-necessary-for-increasing-and-raising-your/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You cannot focus on the stuff you can't control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-vera/you-cannot-focus-on-the-stuff-you-can-t-control/) [Marlon Vera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-vera/) > [I try to focus on the stuff that I can control and let go of the other stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-try-to-focus-on-the-stuff-that-i-can-control-and-let-go-of-the/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [We try to separate the world into the stuff we can control and the stuff we can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/we-try-to-separate-the-world-into-the-stuff-we-can-control-and-the/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [The idea that ageing was subject to control was completely unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kenyon/the-idea-that-ageing-was-subject-to-control-was-completely-unexpected/) [Cynthia Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kenyon/) > [There's this progress, incredible progress of technology, everything is figured out, everything is known, everything is systematic and under control, communication is going on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michal-rovner/there-s-this-progress-incredible-progress-of-technology-everything-is/) [Michal Rovner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michal-rovner/) > [Nothing comes without trade-offs. 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You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/when-you-re-faced-with-a-choice-you-have-one-of-three-choices-that/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“You have the power to think whatever you choose to allow into your head. If something just "pops" into your head, you have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-berg/you-have-the-power-to-think-whatever-you-choose-to-allow-into-your/) [Art Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-berg/) ## More by Mike Rowe > [“Work hard AND smart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/work-hard-and-smart/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that’s consistent with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/happiness-does-not-come-from-a-job-it-comes-from-knowing-what-you/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [I wouldn't wish any specific thing for any specific person - it's none of my business. But the idea that a four-year degree is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/i-wouldn-t-wish-any-specific-thing-for-any-specific-person-it-s-none/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [In a very general way, our society has fallen out of love with the skilled trades. Part of the problem is a myriad of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/in-a-very-general-way-our-society-has-fallen-out-of-love-with-the/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [The skills gap is a reflection of what we value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/the-skills-gap-is-a-reflection-of-what-we-value/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [The skills gap is a reflection of what we value. To close the gap, we need to change the way the country feels about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/the-skills-gap-is-a-reflection-of-what-we-value-to-close-the-gap-we/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [Anything worth doing hurts a little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/anything-worth-doing-hurts-a-little/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [Happiness comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that's consistent with those beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/happiness-comes-from-knowing-what-you-truly-value-and-behaving-in-a/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [My mothers dad dropped out of the eighth grade to work. He had to. 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Squatting in the sewer in San Francisco,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/i-rarely-do-anything-on-the-show-by-myself-i-dont-want-it-to-be-about/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [At the risk of being glib, I would say if you really want to make America great again, you have to make work cool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/at-the-risk-of-being-glib-i-would-say-if-you-really-want-to-make/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [The one thing that TV is bad at doing is preaching. 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I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/) Thomas Miller > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [Some nights I'm funny with the between-song commentary, some nights I'm not. I have no control over this. I pace the stage a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berman/some-nights-i-m-funny-with-the-between-song-commentary-some-nights-i/) [David Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berman/) > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a lot of stuff we can't control, but it is completely in our power to decide what the definition of what a good job is. 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