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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. Eorum enim est haec querela, qui sibi cari sunt seseque diligunt. Qui enim voluptatem ipsam contemnunt, iis licet dicere se acupenserem maenae non anteponere. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Nam si propter voluptatem, quae est ista laus, quae possit e macello peti? Eam tum adesse, cum dolor omnis absit; Falli igitur possumus. Ergo omni animali illud, quod appetiti positum est in eo, quod naturae est accommodatum. Odium autem et invidiam facile vitabis. Sit hoc ultimum bonorum, quod nunc a me defenditur; Ergo adhuc, quantum equidem intellego, causa non videtur fuisse mutandi nominis. Vos autem cum perspicuis dubia debeatis illustrare, dubiis perspicua conamini tollere. Cupit enim dícere nihil posse ad beatam vitam deesse sapienti. Incommoda autem et commoda-ita enim estmata et dustmata appello-communia esse voluerunt, paria noluerunt. Itaque si aut requietem natura non quaereret aut eam posset alia quadam ratione consequi. Ut non sine causa ex iis memoriae ducta sit disciplina. Etiam beatissimum? Nos paucis ad haec additis finem faciamus aliquando; Tu vero, inquam, ducas licet, si sequetur; Indicant pueri, in quibus ut in speculis natura cernitur. Iubet igitur nos Pythius Apollo noscere nosmet ipsos. Stulti autem malorum memoria torquentur, sapientes bona praeterita grata recordatione renovata delectant. Etenim si delectamur, cum scribimus, quis est tam invidus, qui ab eo nos abducat? Scio enim esse quosdam, qui quavis lingua philosophari possint; Intellegi quidem, ut propter aliam quampiam rem, verbi gratia propter voluptatem, nos amemus; At cum de plurimis eadem dicit, tum certe de maximis. Hoc dixerit potius Ennius: Nimium boni est, cui nihil est mali.
- 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. Hoc ne statuam quidem dicturam pater aiebat, si loqui posset. Ita redarguitur ipse a sese, convincunturque scripta eius probitate ipsius ac moribus. An est aliquid per se ipsum flagitiosum, etiamsi nulla comitetur infamia? Ipse Epicurus fortasse redderet, ut Sextus Peducaeus, Sex. Sed ad rem redeamus; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quid, quod homines infima fortuna, nulla spe rerum gerendarum, opifices denique delectantur historia? Idem iste, inquam, de voluptate quid sentit? Nec enim, dum metuit, iustus est, et certe, si metuere destiterit, non erit; Sed mehercule pergrata mihi oratio tua.
Eaedem res maneant alio modo. Mihi vero, inquit, placet agi subtilius et, ut ipse dixisti, pressius. Septem autem illi non suo, sed populorum suffragio omnium nominati sunt. Nisi enim id faceret, cur Plato Aegyptum peragravit, ut a sacerdotibus barbaris numeros et caelestia acciperet? Haec quo modo conveniant, non sane intellego. Dicet pro me ipsa virtus nec dubitabit isti vestro beato M. At multis malis affectus. Propter nos enim illam, non propter eam nosmet ipsos diligimus.
Illa argumenta propria videamus, cur omnia sint paria peccata. Huius ego nunc auctoritatem sequens idem faciam. Polycratem Samium felicem appellabant. Quid enim me prohiberet Epicureum esse, si probarem, quae ille diceret? Si enim ita est, vide ne facinus facias, cum mori suadeas. Non quaero, quid dicat, sed quid convenienter possit rationi et sententiae suae dicere.
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