Here's what it says:
Draw a circle and put everything you're worried about in it. Draw another circle inside that and fill it with the things you have some influence over. �The more you focus on the things inside the inner circle the more effective you will be. �And you'll be surprised to see that the circle of your influence will begin to grow.
That's probably the most useful thought in that book. I periodically randomly think about it.
The value of an activity depends not only the chance it will affect an outcome (whether one has "influence" over it) but on the importance of that outcome. Expressing the relationship in an equation,
value = probability_of_change_of_outcome * value_of_outcome
The OP's concern was politics. Very few individuals have influence over national elections, but the stakes (value_of_outcome above) are very high. It is not irrational to put a lot of energy into political activism, but there is about a 50% chance one will be on the losing side, and it is difficult to know what results (changed votes) one has produced. Arguing with family members with entrenched views is an unproductive form of political activism, compared to door-to-door campaigning, manning a phone bank, or making a political contribution.
