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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 in gubernando nihil, in officio plurimum interest, quo in genere peccetur. Quod cum accidisset ut alter alterum necopinato videremus, surrexit statim. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Age nunc isti doceant, vel tu potius quis enim ista melius? Minime vero istorum quidem, inquit. Itaque rursus eadem ratione, qua sum paulo ante usus, haerebitis. Quis istud, quaeso, nesciebat? At, illa, ut vobis placet, partem quandam tuetur, reliquam deserit. Qui non moveatur et offensione turpitudinis et comprobatione honestatis? Heri, inquam, ludis commissis ex urbe profectus veni ad vesperum. Nam adhuc, meo fortasse vitio, quid ego quaeram non perspicis. Vide, quaeso, rectumne sit. Hic, qui utrumque probat, ambobus debuit uti, sicut facit re, neque tamen dividit verbis. Avaritiamne minuis? Quamquam haec quidem praeposita recte et reiecta dicere licebit. Aliter enim explicari, quod quaeritur, non potest. Oratio me istius philosophi non offendit; Quis tibi ergo istud dabit praeter Pyrrhonem, Aristonem eorumve similes, quos tu non probas? Non igitur potestis voluptate omnia dirigentes aut tueri aut retinere virtutem. Ut optime, secundum naturam affectum esse possit. Immo videri fortasse. An ea, quae per vinitorem antea consequebatur, per se ipsa curabit? Quae iam oratio non a philosopho aliquo, sed a censore opprimenda est. Quid enim de amicitia statueris utilitatis causa expetenda vides. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio.
- 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. Quo modo autem optimum, si bonum praeterea nullum est? Mihi quidem Antiochum, quem audis, satis belle videris attendere. Hic ambiguo ludimur. Quo tandem modo?
Non ego tecum iam ita iocabor, ut isdem his de rebus, cum L. Ipse Epicurus fortasse redderet, ut Sextus Peducaeus, Sex. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Sed vos squalidius, illorum vides quam niteat oratio. Id Sextilius factum negabat. Serpere anguiculos, nare anaticulas, evolare merulas, cornibus uti videmus boves, nepas aculeis. Nihil acciderat ei, quod nollet, nisi quod anulum, quo delectabatur, in mari abiecerat. A quibus propter discendi cupiditatem videmus ultimas terras esse peragratas. Quis non odit sordidos, vanos, leves, futtiles? Te enim iudicem aequum puto, modo quae dicat ille bene noris.
At ille pellit, qui permulcet sensum voluptate. Quid, si reviviscant Platonis illi et deinceps qui eorum auditores fuerunt, et tecum ita loquantur? Unum nescio, quo modo possit, si luxuriosus sit, finitas cupiditates habere. Cum id quoque, ut cupiebat, audivisset, evelli iussit eam, qua erat transfixus, hastam. Multoque hoc melius nos veriusque quam Stoici. Tu vero, inquam, ducas licet, si sequetur; Quis Aristidem non mortuum diligit? Hoc loco discipulos quaerere videtur, ut, qui asoti esse velint, philosophi ante fiant. Ergo id est convenienter naturae vivere, a natura discedere. Theophrastus mediocriterne delectat, cum tractat locos ab Aristotele ante tractatos?
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