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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. Suo enim quisque studio maxime ducitur. Prodest, inquit, mihi eo esse animo. Quo modo autem optimum, si bonum praeterea nullum est? Rapior illuc, revocat autem Antiochus, nec est praeterea, quem audiamus. Consequentia exquirere, quoad sit id, quod volumus, effectum. Quicquid porro animo cernimus, id omne oritur a sensibus; Callipho ad virtutem nihil adiunxit nisi voluptatem, Diodorus vacuitatem doloris. Hic ego: Pomponius quidem, inquam, noster iocari videtur, et fortasse suo iure. Virtutis, magnitudinis animi, patientiae, fortitudinis fomentis dolor mitigari solet. Itaque mihi non satis videmini considerare quod iter sit naturae quaeque progressio. Illa argumenta propria videamus, cur omnia sint paria peccata. Quasi ego id curem, quid ille aiat aut neget. Alterum significari idem, ut si diceretur, officia media omnia aut pleraque servantem vivere. Sed eum qui audiebant, quoad poterant, defendebant sententiam suam. Si stante, hoc natura videlicet vult, salvam esse se, quod concedimus; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Hoc ille tuus non vult omnibusque ex rebus voluptatem quasi mercedem exigit. Quae hic rei publicae vulnera inponebat, eadem ille sanabat. Quae hic rei publicae vulnera inponebat, eadem ille sanabat. Quis est, qui non oderit libidinosam, protervam adolescentiam?
- Audit your focus.
Spend a week tracking how much you focus on factors that are out of your control ...
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Quamquam te quidem video minime esse deterritum. Deinde qui fit, ut ego nesciam, sciant omnes, quicumque Epicurei esse voluerunt? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Tenent mordicus. Aliter enim explicari, quod quaeritur, non potest. Itaque nostrum est-quod nostrum dico, artis est-ad ea principia, quae accepimus. Eaedem enim utilitates poterunt eas labefactare atque pervertere. Contemnit enim disserendi elegantiam, confuse loquitur.
Nunc ita separantur, ut disiuncta sint, quo nihil potest esse perversius. Avaritiamne minuis? Quod si ita se habeat, non possit beatam praestare vitam sapientia. Deinde disputat, quod cuiusque generis animantium statui deceat extremum. Quis non odit sordidos, vanos, leves, futtiles? Haec bene dicuntur, nec ego repugno, sed inter sese ipsa pugnant. Ergo ita: non posse honeste vivi, nisi honeste vivatur? Quorum sine causa fieri nihil putandum est.
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