In the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey reminds us to be proactive. In other words, we should examine our thoughts to determine whether what we are thinking about is in our circle of concern–which includes areas for which we are directly responsible, and those for which we are not. The areas in which we exert direct control, he refers to as our circle of influence. The idea is to focus our thoughts and actions productively, remaining in the circle of influence.
Over the past weeks, I had been practically living in the land of concern. And as you can see in the graphic, when you’re reactive, or focused on concerns, your effectiveness shrinks. Plus it feels bad! When you focus your energies on positive thoughts and actions, your influence increases.
For this week, my mantra has been to think about things I can control, take action to improve what I can, and pray about areas in my circle of concern. It’s worked out a lot better.
–Andie
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