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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. Inde sermone vario sex illa a Dipylo stadia confecimus. Igitur neque stultorum quisquam beatus neque sapientium non beatus. Dulce amarum, leve asperum, prope longe, stare movere, quadratum rotundum. Quae cum magnifice primo dici viderentur, considerata minus probabantur. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quam illa ardentis amores excitaret sui! Cur tandem? Mihi vero, inquit, placet agi subtilius et, ut ipse dixisti, pressius. Num igitur eum postea censes anxio animo aut sollicito fuisse? Nemo igitur esse beatus potest. Nulla erit controversia. Roges enim Aristonem, bonane ei videantur haec: vacuitas doloris, divitiae, valitudo; Eademne, quae restincta siti? Et ille ridens: Video, inquit, quid agas; Quae cum dixisset paulumque institisset, Quid est? Quibusnam praeteritis? Quia nec honesto quic quam honestius nec turpi turpius. Sint ista Graecorum; Ut optime, secundum naturam affectum esse possit. Tum ille: Tu autem cum ipse tantum librorum habeas, quos hic tandem requiris? Dicet pro me ipsa virtus nec dubitabit isti vestro beato M.
- Audit your focus.
Spend a week tracking how much you focus on factors that are out of your control ...
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Praeteritis, inquit, gaudeo. Nam de isto magna dissensio est. Non quaeritur autem quid naturae tuae consentaneum sit, sed quid disciplinae. Virtutis, magnitudinis animi, patientiae, fortitudinis fomentis dolor mitigari solet. Nihil opus est exemplis hoc facere longius. An, partus ancillae sitne in fructu habendus, disseretur inter principes civitatis, P. Quae similitudo in genere etiam humano apparet. Ut aliquid scire se gaudeant? Quid autem habent admirationis, cum prope accesseris?
Videamus animi partes, quarum est conspectus illustrior; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Sed quoniam et advesperascit et mihi ad villam revertendum est, nunc quidem hactenus; Praeclare enim Plato: Beatum, cui etiam in senectute contigerit, ut sapientiam verasque opiniones assequi possit. Non enim quaero quid verum, sed quid cuique dicendum sit. Sed haec nihil sane ad rem; Deinde qui fit, ut ego nesciam, sciant omnes, quicumque Epicurei esse voluerunt?
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