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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. Quae ista amicitia est? Quis est, qui non oderit libidinosam, protervam adolescentiam? Nemo nostrum istius generis asotos iucunde putat vivere. Curium putes loqui, interdum ita laudat, ut quid praeterea sit bonum neget se posse ne suspicari quidem. Longum est enim ad omnia respondere, quae a te dicta sunt. Huius, Lyco, oratione locuples, rebus ipsis ielunior. Aliter enim nosmet ipsos nosse non possumus. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quid ad utilitatem tantae pecuniae? Sed nonne merninisti licere mihi ista probare, quae sunt a te dicta? Sed quid sentiat, non videtis. Illud dico, ea, quae dicat, praeclare inter se cohaerere. Ut aliquid scire se gaudeant? Hoc loco tenere se Triarius non potuit. Bona autem corporis huic sunt, quod posterius posui, similiora. Ego quoque, inquit, didicerim libentius si quid attuleris, quam te reprehenderim. Quae cum essent dicta, discessimus. Si qua in iis corrigere voluit, deteriora fecit. Mihi quidem Antiochum, quem audis, satis belle videris attendere. Virtutis, magnitudinis animi, patientiae, fortitudinis fomentis dolor mitigari solet. Memini me adesse P. In qua quid est boni praeter summam voluptatem, et eam sempiternam? Tum, Quintus et Pomponius cum idem se velle dixissent, Piso exorsus est.
- 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. Quodsi ipsam honestatem undique pertectam atque absolutam. Nihil enim arbitror esse magna laude dignum, quod te praetermissurum credam aut mortis aut doloris metu. Cur igitur easdem res, inquam, Peripateticis dicentibus verbum nullum est, quod non intellegatur?
Dolor ergo, id est summum malum, metuetur semper, etiamsi non aderit; Quem Tiberina descensio festo illo die tanto gaudio affecit, quanto L. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Nihil enim arbitror esse magna laude dignum, quod te praetermissurum credam aut mortis aut doloris metu. Sed in rebus apertissimis nimium longi sumus. Verum esto: verbum ipsum voluptatis non habet dignitatem, nec nos fortasse intellegimus. Aliter enim explicari, quod quaeritur, non potest.
Ita enim vivunt quidam, ut eorum vita refellatur oratio. Oratio me istius philosophi non offendit; Haec et tu ita posuisti, et verba vestra sunt. Nisi enim id faceret, cur Plato Aegyptum peragravit, ut a sacerdotibus barbaris numeros et caelestia acciperet? Tu enim ista lenius, hic Stoicorum more nos vexat. Itaque e contrario moderati aequabilesque habitus, affectiones ususque corporis apti esse ad naturam videntur.
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