Becoming Greater Then Your Environment: Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know
Updated: Oct 23, 2022
Positive habits and a positive environment play an essential role in our lives. A positive environment encourages us to make better choices and cultivate effective habits. Before we know it, we have sometimes fallen into the rabbit hole of spending our days surrounded by people or situations that negatively affect our energy, confidence, and perspective. Still, it doesn't have to be that way. If you want more positivity in your life, you can start by learning how to become more significant than your environment.
You Are In Control Of Your Life; no One Else.
You are in control of your life and no one else. While we have friends, family, and groups to help and motivate us, ultimately, it is up to us to take the steps needed to become an elevated version of ourselves. No matter how many people try to tell you that your environment determines everything about who you are and what you do, it's simply not true. Our environment doesn't define who we are unless WE ALLOW it to. Whenever we hear success stories about individuals who built a life more significant than what their environment measured them to be, it is because they did not allow themselves to be chained to that environment for the rest of their lives. They chose to be greater o they could have better.
You Are A Sum Of Your Habits
Habits are the things we do without thinking. They are functions of our life that are so ingrained in us that they require no effort to perform. Habits can take many forms, and they can be either effective or ineffective, depending on what we are striving to accomplish. In the widely popular book "Atomic Habits" by author James Clear, he notes that there is no such thing as good or bad habits but effective or non-effective habits that impact our daily routines and lifestyle. It is our choice to decide what habits we will choose to either stay where we are or reach that place or person we want to be.
Studies have shown that it takes 21 days to form a consistent habit, effective or noneffective. When we incorporate something new into our routine such as becoming consistent with social media posting, changing our eating habits, or stepping into a new territory where the outcome is genuinely up to us, it can initially seem complicated or almost like a chore to a degree. Still, if we shift our mindset to how we look at this new activity and try our best to stay consistent with it, it will soon become an effective habit that will feel more and more natural as time goes on. You will get to the point of doing it without putting too much thought into it.
If you can shift your mindset to view the activity as something that is done to benefit your overall being instead of something you have to do to feel like you are doing something for yourself, then you will be able to enjoy it much more. For example, when I would think about going to the gym, my mindset was that this was something that I was doing to lose some weight before a vacation or event to feel more comfortable and confident. Once I reached that endpoint, I did not return to the gym until the next one came around. When I exercise at home or go to the gym, I view that as taking care of my physical and mental health; that time as which will benefit me for years to come as I get older. Growing to love what that means to me, I don't have to put much thought into it because I have now prioritized the feeling of being physically in shape and the mental feeling of it. It has now become a form of self-care embedded in how I measure my day and daily routine.
The Significant Role That Your Environment Plays
Your environment plays a significant role in the choices you make and the behaviors you carry. As a result, how you feel is often dictated by the people and things around you. Suppose someone constantly tells you negative items or leaves you in a fearful and anxious state. In that case, the effect is that you will most likely become a negative person, which can negatively impact how you see yourself and your abilities. Your confidence will be diminished, and you will have a mindset of lack and fear.
This is why it’s so important to surround yourself with people who believe in you and give encouragement instead of criticism or discouragement. Have you ever heard of the term toxic work or home environment? A toxic work environment can make one feel less motivated to want to continue their job and be consumed by the energy of that environment. Hence, it brings the mood down significantly and leads to overall uncomfortable feelings whenever in the workplace. People who consider themselves in a toxic work environment will tend to complain more about their job than have something nice to say about their employees and workplace. So we either have the choice of being consumed by that energy or influencing it to become more positive.
Influencing The Room
A famous quote by Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt is, "Don't adapt to the energy in the room; influence the energy in the room" To add to his quote, he also stated even if it is online. Everyone probably knows that one somebody that others would refer to as "the life of the party" or that person that people naturally gravitate towards because of their bright personality, aura, and energy that radiates to whomever they come across. To some, we may ask ourselves how they can do that. Why do people gravitate toward them so naturally? Well, those people can walk into a room and naturally want to uplift the energy. They're not worried about what others are thinking about them or influenced by the actions or stares that they may receive. That is also what I call THAT Girl Energy.
You can be the positive energy that influences those around you and influence them to become elevated versions of themselves. Sometimes we will debate, well, if I did it for myself, then why can't they? It is essential to be empathetic and compassionate to those around us. Not everyone has the same starting point, capacity, or confidence to do it independently. , but that can be built upon to help the following individual(s). That starting point may have been rough and rugged, but that is only a testimony to share. As we grow into those versions we want to become, our capacity for empathy and compassion can increase by reminding us that we are all human. We may not all go through the same situations in life, but if you know what it's like to feel limited, fearful and no,t so confident at a point, putting yourself in sure ensure' that you are going through that will open your heart to different perspectives.
If your friends have an idea they want to pursue, encourage them to follow through with it. If they’re having trouble with something at work or school, offer advice and help if possible (and ensure they know resources are available if not).
If someone asks for your advice in a difficult situation, don’t just shrug it off and say, “I dunno….” Instead, give thoughtful and insightful answers and be ready to lend support when needed. Make sure everyone knows what they mean to you by showing them how much they matter while also understanding the importance of boundaries. There is a difference between being that supportive friend or family member versus trauma bonding through similar experiences and becoming a personal therapist or life coach for those around you if that is not your intention.
Create A System That Supports Progress
You don't have to be in the "perfect "place mentally or emotionally to work towards making your goals a reality. All you need is the feeling to want better, an action plan and systems in place that support progre, and holding yourself accountable for everything you do.
A system is anything that helps you take action. It could be as simple as writing down your goals on paper, taking it a step further by using a habit tracker app for every goal so that you can track your progress over time. The key here is to create something concrete that will remind you of what work needs to get done, when it needs to get done and why it needs to get done (in other words: your WHY). A great place to start is writing down your WHY. Your why can be why you want to get started on something, change a habit, or decide it's time to stop being who you thought you had to be to become who you want to be.
Of course, no system works unless it's regularly implemented and improved upon—so if you don't have one in place yet but think this seems like something worth trying out, get on it! Get some paper, open the notes app on your phone and write down all the things that matter most right now: things like how you can improve your confidence o how you plan to stop living with the expectations that others have put upon you and living a life that makes you feel good. Whatever you feel like you can improve on, write it down. Say it out loud and come up with an action plan for yourself.
Becoming Greater
Income greater than our environment, it is imperative that we also reflect on the parts about ourselves that we can also work on. When we change our environment, we can change ourselves in ways we may not have thought le. Have you ever heard of someone who chooses to move frequently because they don't feel like that place is for them? Sometimes it's not the place, but in fact, it's. If w,e carry the mindset that we did when we arrived in this new environment, thinking that it would take s to new heights, then we have to give ourselves a reality check. We must n our ears, minds, and heart to new possibilities of doing things, eliminating things that no longer serve us, and shedding who we once were to become who we want to be.
Have you ever been to a family function, let's use Thanksglet'sg for an example, and you walk into a room where a group of your family members is sitting around talking negatively or gossiping about others that may even be in the next room.? You can choose t? o, be the individual to get roped into the negative talk and join in, even if you are listening or looking for a quick ki-ki or keep pushing and go about your business. You take it a step further by redirecting the conversation to something positive, like how good the food is, or even dishing a compliment. Now you've just accepted that negative energy out of the space and implemented positivity. Usually, others will follow that positivity and keep it going in the conversations they have their discussions.
Environmental Limitations
No matter what your current or past circumstances are, if you set your mind to it, carry that vision, speak it aloud and sow the seeds to your garden, you will see it grow into something beautiful. You can do anything you put your mind to as long as your heart and mind are aligned. When that happens, you are able tocan recocanstate of emotions daily and usedailygure out what is and is not working for you. This is the importance of walking with intention, confidence, and faith!
Never allow anyone to tell you that your dre s aren't achievable or that you are dreaming "too big because you can never dream too big. Don't let anyone tell you that there's something wrong with wanting to surround yourself in a different environment that goes outside the 'norms.' Sometimes people can make us feel as though we are the strange ones for wanting something different than what we have been surrounded by Hansen our entire lives. Still, in all actuality, you are choosing not to live a complacent life to others' expectations.
Identify The Things That Make You Special
There are a lot of things that make you unique. Something about you makes you different from everyone else in the world. It is up to you to find those unique qualities about yourself and use them to your advantage. Maybe it’s your unique way of connecting with others, or perhaps you can make a positive difference in someone’s life. Make those unique qualities loud and visible to the world because you may not know who you are impacting or motivating.
Whatever it is, identify those things and use them as inspiration for moving forward in life. If you want to be greater than your environment, find out what makes you unique and use that as an inspiration to change yourself and others around you.
I hope that by reading this post, you were able to take away some valuable information about yourself and how your environment can affect your behavior. It would help if you had the right mindset and a solid system to succeed in life to support your goals. This blog post will show how easy it is to control your destiny by changing what surrounds you and implementing new habits into your daily routine!
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