In the two previous posts, we’ve talked about choice or chance and the three main protagonists, our body , environment, and time.  In this post, we will discuss the impact of our environment.

2. Are You Betting on the Environment?

While some check in with their body first, others look at the environment to see what’s happening or has happened in their world while they were asleep.  Surprisingly, only a small few proactively decide how they will feel in their new day.

Some wake up to the news of the day, social media, and emails. Who did what and why can easily hijack our energies and prime our thoughts, conversations, decisions, and behaviors throughout the day. Many let other people’s perceptions of reality influence what they think, believe, feel, and expect from our environment and the world.

Others start with emails, or what’s going on in the household, their friends or family, the weather, or the world and allow their outer environment to dictate how they will emotionally present themselves to the world.

Some wait to have their emotional state shaped by how people in their environment (school, work, household, or community) treat them. Did they respect us? Did they ignore us? Did they support us? What are people thinking and saying about us. Frankly, that is their business. We must focus on what we wish to contribute to the world and make our own individual impact based on our personal missions of service to humanity.

We each have a circle of influence where we can and should make a difference. We must be careful to not let our thoughts, emotions, and creative energies be dissipated by focusing on things outside of our control. We must begin our day with our goals in mind.

Hopefully we have practiced Ikigai which is the work we do that stands at the intersection of what we love, what we are good at, what the world needs and what we can be paid for. Ikigai, is a Japanese concept that balances the spiritual with the practical and connects our passion, profession, vocation, and mission to help us create a fulfilling and purposeful life. We must let our life’s mission prime our day and not the chance happenings of the world.

Finally others remember how they felt yesterday and choose to continue feeling the same way. They wake up remembering past angers or joys, frustrations or excitements, pains and hurts, possibilities or hopelessness, missions or apathy, or encouragement and happiness. In the next post in this series, we will discuss Time.

Thanks for viewing. Please share your thoughts.
Barbara

My passion is in connecting hearts, to help people see our oneness and common humanity, and to teach people strategies for handling the individual, family, societal, and workplace stresses that zap our energy, enjoyment of life, productivity, and well-being. I have been training adult audiences for over 40 years. I work with people at all levels, but especially with top leadership in organizations with a focus on employee engagement, dysfunctional teams, communication challenges, culture, implicit bias, change management, and rebuilding trust. I

am a keynote speaker and also train nationally for businesses, associations, colleges, community groups, and government organizations. My focus over the past decade has focused neuroscience of well-being, positive psychology, strengths-based leadership, generative change, emotional resilience and Appreciative Inquiry. My current or recent contracts have been working with leadership in high stress organization: correctional facilities, emergency communication centers, and high stress government agencies. I am a wife, mother of six, and entrepreneur and also an author of six books.