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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. Virtutis, magnitudinis animi, patientiae, fortitudinis fomentis dolor mitigari solet. Sed ille, ut dixi, vitiose. An obliviscimur, quantopere in audiendo in legendoque moveamur, cum pie, cum amice, cum magno animo aliquid factum cognoscimus? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Et quod est munus, quod opus sapientiae? Nec mihi illud dixeris: Haec enim ipsa mihi sunt voluptati, et erant illa Torquatis. Quaesita enim virtus est, non quae relinqueret naturam, sed quae tueretur. Cum id fugiunt, re eadem defendunt, quae Peripatetici, verba. Aliter homines, aliter philosophos loqui putas oportere? Ad eas enim res ab Epicuro praecepta dantur. Sit hoc ultimum bonorum, quod nunc a me defenditur; Non pugnem cum homine, cur tantum habeat in natura boni; Facile est hoc cernere in primis puerorum aetatulis. Oratio me istius philosophi non offendit; Ut alios omittam, hunc appello, quem ille unum secutus est. Cum praesertim illa perdiscere ludus esset. Gracchum patrem non beatiorem fuisse quam fillum, cum alter stabilire rem publicam studuerit, alter evertere. Quod, inquit, quamquam voluptatibus quibusdam est saepe iucundius, tamen expetitur propter voluptatem. Tantum dico, magis fuisse vestrum agere Epicuri diem natalem, quam illius testamento cavere ut ageretur.
- 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. In his igitur partibus duabus nihil erat, quod Zeno commutare gestiret. Quod quidem iam fit etiam in Academia. Ut non sine causa ex iis memoriae ducta sit disciplina. Sed quanta sit alias, nunc tantum possitne esse tanta. Videmusne ut pueri ne verberibus quidem a contemplandis rebus perquirendisque deterreantur? Duo Reges: constructio interrete.
Itaque dicunt nec dubitant: mihi sic usus est, tibi ut opus est facto, fac. Hos contra singulos dici est melius. Nam aliquando posse recte fieri dicunt nulla expectata nec quaesita voluptate. Philosophi autem in suis lectulis plerumque moriuntur. Quos nisi redarguimus, omnis virtus, omne decus, omnis vera laus deserenda est. Respondent extrema primis, media utrisque, omnia omnibus.
Sullae consulatum? Propter nos enim illam, non propter eam nosmet ipsos diligimus. Nam diligi et carum esse iucundum est propterea, quia tutiorem vitam et voluptatem pleniorem efficit. Nam prius a se poterit quisque discedere quam appetitum earum rerum, quae sibi conducant, amittere. Quid enim ab antiquis ex eo genere, quod ad disserendum valet, praetermissum est? Tum Piso: Atqui, Cicero, inquit, ista studia, si ad imitandos summos viros spectant, ingeniosorum sunt; Atque his de rebus et splendida est eorum et illustris oratio. Ergo ita: non posse honeste vivi, nisi honeste vivatur? Quid enim de amicitia statueris utilitatis causa expetenda vides.
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