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This model is reflected by a famous quote by Reinhold Niebuhr: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, ... Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ergo illi intellegunt quid Epicurus dicat, ego non intellego? Hoc est non modo cor non habere, sed ne palatum quidem. In parvis enim saepe, qui nihil eorum cogitant, si quando iis ludentes minamur praecipitaturos alicunde, extimescunt. Teneo, inquit, finem illi videri nihil dolere. Nihil minus, contraque illa hereditate dives ob eamque rem laetus. Mihi quidem Antiochum, quem audis, satis belle videris attendere. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Tu enim ista lenius, hic Stoicorum more nos vexat. Tubulum fuisse, qua illum, cuius is condemnatus est rogatione, P. Philosophi autem in suis lectulis plerumque moriuntur. Semovenda est igitur voluptas, non solum ut recta sequamini, sed etiam ut loqui deceat frugaliter. Huius, Lyco, oratione locuples, rebus ipsis ielunior. Quod non faceret, si in voluptate summum bonum poneret. Eam si varietatem diceres, intellegerem, ut etiam non dicente te intellego; At coluit ipse amicitias. Atqui eorum nihil est eius generis, ut sit in fine atque extrerno bonorum. Bonum integritas corporis: misera debilitas. Sin laboramus, quis est, qui alienae modum statuat industriae? Universa enim illorum ratione cum tota vestra confligendum puto.
- Audit your focus.
Spend a week tracking how much you focus on factors that are out of your control ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Levatio igitur vitiorum magna fit in iis, qui habent ad virtutem progressionis aliquantum. Quicquid enim a sapientia proficiscitur, id continuo debet expletum esse omnibus suis partibus; Quicquid enim a sapientia proficiscitur, id continuo debet expletum esse omnibus suis partibus; Bona autem corporis huic sunt, quod posterius posui, similiora. Et quidem Arcesilas tuus, etsi fuit in disserendo pertinacior, tamen noster fuit; Positum est a nostris in iis esse rebus, quae secundum naturam essent, non dolere; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Res tota, Torquate, non doctorum hominum, velle post mortem epulis celebrari memoriam sui nominis. Inquit, respondet: Quia, nisi quod honestum est, nullum est aliud bonum! Non quaero iam verumne sit; Qua tu etiam inprudens utebare non numquam. Sed haec nihil sane ad rem;
Pauca mutat vel plura sane; Quos quidem tibi studiose et diligenter tractandos magnopere censeo.
Quae sequuntur igitur? Et non ex maxima parte de tota iudicabis? Qui ita affectus, beatum esse numquam probabis; Ut aliquid scire se gaudeant? Ut necesse sit omnium rerum, quae natura vigeant, similem esse finem, non eundem. At miser, si in flagitiosa et vitiosa vita afflueret voluptatibus. Sed tamen omne, quod de re bona dilucide dicitur, mihi praeclare dici videtur. Scio enim esse quosdam, qui quavis lingua philosophari possint;
It can be difficult to determine what’s in your Circle of Concern versus your Circle of Influence. For example, as a senior manager, a member of your team might be influenced by you yet will ultimately make their own decisions. One strategy to mitigate this is to consider an additional element called the 'Circle of Control', which relates directly to your behaviour at the centre of the two circles.
Another potential challenge lies when taking this model to its extreme, as it can be used to justify 'narcissistic tendencies' by focusing on yourself rather than using it as a means to engage or impact the external world.
Victor Frankl and the holocaust
Covey’s example of applying this model puts a lot in perspective. He cites the story of Austrian psychiatrist Victor Frankl and his experience in the Nazi holocaust.
Frankl saw most of his family killed and everything stripped away from him, yet he endured. Frankl said: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”
Hopefully, you’ll use this heroic example of proactivity as inspiration rather than intimidation.
This model particularly aligns with productivity models that encourage high value activity.
Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave the circle of concern and influence into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above.
Connected models:
- Psychological Safety: this model can support the development of psychological safety by shifting from a blame culture.
Complementary models:
- Growth mindset: combining this mental model with a growth mindset allows you to consider how to increase your circle of influence.
- Habit formation and habit stacking: developing these practices as daily habits and processes to use in meetings becomes a powerful life approach.
- Cialidini’s Six Principles of Influence: Cialdini's model aims to extend your influence over people and can be used to challenge the defined limits of the circle of concern and influence as a result.
- Jealousy as a Map: to help establish your priority goals.
This model was created by Stephen Covey, author and speaker and was first featured in his book 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'. Find out more by visiting the Franklin Covey Institute here.
My Notes
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Arun,
A proactivity tool is mentioned in Actionable takeaways, how or where can we get access to this?
Thanks
Dimiter