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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. Sin aliud quid voles, postea. Ut placet, inquit, etsi enim illud erat aptius, aequum cuique concedere. Quae cum praeponunt, ut sit aliqua rerum selectio, naturam videntur sequi; Bork Aeque enim contingit omnibus fidibus, ut incontentae sint. Iam in altera philosophiae parte. Tu enim ista lenius, hic Stoicorum more nos vexat. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Hic ambiguo ludimur. Quid enim ab antiquis ex eo genere, quod ad disserendum valet, praetermissum est? Illa videamus, quae a te de amicitia dicta sunt. Quid enim de amicitia statueris utilitatis causa expetenda vides. Ita enim vivunt quidam, ut eorum vita refellatur oratio. Ut enim consuetudo loquitur, id solum dicitur honestum, quod est populari fama gloriosum. Dic in quovis conventu te omnia facere, ne doleas. Quae cum ita sint, effectum est nihil esse malum, quod turpe non sit. Quid, quod homines infima fortuna, nulla spe rerum gerendarum, opifices denique delectantur historia? Sed quid sentiat, non videtis. In his igitur partibus duabus nihil erat, quod Zeno commutare gestiret. Cui Tubuli nomen odio non est? Quid loquor de nobis, qui ad laudem et ad decus nati, suscepti, instituti sumus? Dici enim nihil potest verius. Istam voluptatem perpetuam quis potest praestare sapienti? Conferam tecum, quam cuique verso rem subicias; Est igitur officium eius generis, quod nec in bonis ponatur nec in contrariis. Sic, et quidem diligentius saepiusque ista loquemur inter nos agemusque communiter.
- 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. Universa enim illorum ratione cum tota vestra confligendum puto. Sed vos squalidius, illorum vides quam niteat oratio. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quamquam haec quidem praeposita recte et reiecta dicere licebit. Sin tantum modo ad indicia veteris memoriae cognoscenda, curiosorum. Illud quaero, quid ei, qui in voluptate summum bonum ponat, consentaneum sit dicere. An eum discere ea mavis, quae cum plane perdidiceriti nihil sciat? Virtutis, magnitudinis animi, patientiae, fortitudinis fomentis dolor mitigari solet. Haeret in salebra.
Nos autem non solum beatae vitae istam esse oblectationem videmus, sed etiam levamentum miseriarum. Dic in quovis conventu te omnia facere, ne doleas. Illud dico, ea, quae dicat, praeclare inter se cohaerere. Illi enim inter se dissentiunt. Septem autem illi non suo, sed populorum suffragio omnium nominati sunt. Maximus dolor, inquit, brevis est. Ad quorum et cognitionem et usum iam corroborati natura ipsa praeeunte deducimur.
Quoniam, si dis placet, ab Epicuro loqui discimus. Atqui iste locus est, Piso, tibi etiam atque etiam confirmandus, inquam;
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