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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. Cur, nisi quod turpis oratio est? Sit enim idem caecus, debilis. Quis enim est, qui non videat haec esse in natura rerum tria? Sic consequentibus vestris sublatis prima tolluntur. Quid autem habent admirationis, cum prope accesseris? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Ut necesse sit omnium rerum, quae natura vigeant, similem esse finem, non eundem. Piso igitur hoc modo, vir optimus tuique, ut scis, amantissimus. Ita relinquet duas, de quibus etiam atque etiam consideret. Sed id ne cogitari quidem potest quale sit, ut non repugnet ipsum sibi. Illa sunt similia: hebes acies est cuipiam oculorum, corpore alius senescit; Si mala non sunt, iacet omnis ratio Peripateticorum. Haec quo modo conveniant, non sane intellego. Quid, quod homines infima fortuna, nulla spe rerum gerendarum, opifices denique delectantur historia? Aliter homines, aliter philosophos loqui putas oportere? Atqui iste locus est, Piso, tibi etiam atque etiam confirmandus, inquam; Minime vero istorum quidem, inquit. Suam denique cuique naturam esse ad vivendum ducem. Quid censes in Latino fore? Apparet statim, quae sint officia, quae actiones. Id quaeris, inquam, in quo, utrum respondero, verses te huc atque illuc necesse est. Respondent extrema primis, media utrisque, omnia omnibus. Sin tantum modo ad indicia veteris memoriae cognoscenda, curiosorum. Nulla profecto est, quin suam vim retineat a primo ad extremum. Magni enim aestimabat pecuniam non modo non contra leges, sed etiam legibus partam. Virtutibus igitur rectissime mihi videris et ad consuetudinem nostrae orationis vitia posuisse contraria.
- 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. Habes, inquam, Cato, formam eorum, de quibus loquor, philosophorum. Neque enim civitas in seditione beata esse potest nec in discordia dominorum domus; Ego quoque, inquit, didicerim libentius si quid attuleris, quam te reprehenderim. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Ergo illi intellegunt quid Epicurus dicat, ego non intellego? Quod quidem iam fit etiam in Academia. Estne, quaeso, inquam, sitienti in bibendo voluptas? Tecum optime, deinde etiam cum mediocri amico. Itaque eos id agere, ut a se dolores, morbos, debilitates repellant.
Si longus, levis dictata sunt. Duo enim genera quae erant, fecit tria. Fatebuntur Stoici haec omnia dicta esse praeclare, neque eam causam Zenoni desciscendi fuisse. Nosti, credo, illud: Nemo pius est, qui pietatem-; Bork Cuius quidem, quoniam Stoicus fuit, sententia condemnata mihi videtur esse inanitas ista verborum. Estne, quaeso, inquam, sitienti in bibendo voluptas? An potest cupiditas finiri? Inde igitur, inquit, ordiendum est. Bonum integritas corporis: misera debilitas.
Nam, ut paulo ante docui, augendae voluptatis finis est doloris omnis amotio. Ita fit cum gravior, tum etiam splendidior oratio. Ita graviter et severe voluptatem secrevit a bono. Quae cum essent dicta, discessimus. Profectus in exilium Tubulus statim nec respondere ausus; Estne, quaeso, inquam, sitienti in bibendo voluptas? Nunc de hominis summo bono quaeritur; Duo enim genera quae erant, fecit tria. Sine ea igitur iucunde negat posse se vivere?
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