Mindset Shift #10: Control What You Can, Cope With What You Can’t, & Concentrate on What Counts

Dec 15, 2025

Hey Coach,

Before we jump into today’s mindset shift, a quick heads up: if you’ve ever been on the fence about trying any Busy Coach tools, this Black Friday Sale is the lowest they’ll ever be. The sale ends Monday, December 10th at 11:59pm EST.

Now let’s get into our final success mindset shift—one that ties everything together from the past several weeks.

We’ve talked about growing past old habits, taking fast action, breaking anxiety with movement, choosing change now, cutting busywork, owning your morning, taking responsibility, using subtraction for freedom, and surrounding yourself with good people.

And today’s shift might be the one that helps you breathe the deepest:

Control what you can.
Cope with what you can’t.
Concentrate on what counts.

There were certainly part of my coaching career where I tried to control everything.

Players’ emotions.

Our equipment person

Ref calls.

Travel hiccups.

Parents’ reactions.

Admin delays.

Recruiting timelines

And other random chaos that had nothing to do with me.

If something touched the program—even slightly—I felt like it was on me to manage it.

And guess where that landed me?

Stressed.

Tired.

Running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

One season, a mentor said something I’ll never forget:

“Mandy, you’re trying to coach the entire universe.

You’ve gotta coach your 10 square feet.”

That hit me hard.

Because the truth was:

I was leaking energy in every direction except the one that actually made a difference.

I couldn’t control the noise.

But I could control how I showed up in the noise.

And THAT was the shift.

The truth most coaches don’t see

Most coaches assume their stress comes from the chaos around them.

But the real issue is running your day without a structure that protects your time, your priorities, and your energy.

When your day has a rhythm — a simple system that supports you — everything gets lighter.

You stop reacting. You start leading.

This shift is really about knowing the difference between:

1. What’s in your control

Your habits

Your communication

Your prep

Your attitude

Your presence

Your choices

2. What’s not in your control

Late buses

Bad calls

Players’ emotions

Other people’s timelines

Sudden fires

Life being life

3. What actually counts

The work that moves your program forward

Your top priorities

Your key relationships

Your team culture

Your long-term goals

Your systems

When you can see the difference clearly, everything else becomes easier to manage.

Imagine this version of you

You walk into the day grounded instead of scattered.

You handle challenges without spiraling.

Your staff sees a coach who’s steady, not stressed.

Your players feel your presence, not your pressure.

You make decisions faster because you’re no longer trying to control 100 variables that aren’t yours to manage.

That version of you is built through this shift.

How to apply it this week

Write down five things you’re stressed about.

Be honest.

Label each one:

CONTROL • COPE • CONCENTRATE

Take one small action on what’s in your control.

Let the rest go—or put it in its proper place.

Because the moment you stop trying to manage everything…

you finally free up the energy to lead the things that matter.

So, Coach — what’s one thing you’re ready to let go of…

and what’s one thing you’re ready to truly focus on this week?

That’s how you finish strong.

Win the day,

Mandy Green

P.S. If this message hit home, forward it to another coach who needs a reminder that they don’t have to carry everything alone.

And if you’re ready to build your Effective Coach Operating System (ECOS)— so you can feel more organized, more consistent, and more in control— you’ll find everything you need waiting for you at busy.coach.