Often our feelings of discontentment and turmoil around certain people or subjects are because we are focusing on the things outside of the 2% we can control.
Our circle of influence consists of the people closest to us or the position we are in. We can show what we believe and discuss things with them that will potentially encourage them to try things or act a specific way.
Think about your children, employees, co-workers, spouse, and suppliers you work with.
These people are often influenced by you.
We’ve gone on trips to places and spent thousands of dollars because someone close to us suggested we visit.
Or we’ve tried new things because someone close to us encouraged us to!
Often my kids and employees do what I ask, so I have a lot of influence in that area. I can’t control them and don’t want to, so occasionally an employee or child will act or behave in a way that’s not something I would approve of. I have some choices for consequences at that point, but whether or not they choose it is outside of my control.
We don’t ALWAYS do what someone else is suggesting, but we often consider it when someone we know, like, or trust has made the recommendation.
The largest percentage is the category of AWARENESS. Just because we can be or help others be aware of it, doesn’t mean we have any real impact on the situation at all.
When we boil down our circles to what we can control, we get a very small percentage.
Another way to look at this is to consider the players on the court in a game of tennis Compared to the coaches on the sidelines and the players in the stands.
Only the 2 players are actually IN THE GAME!!
The coaches can have some influence, but ultimately what happens on the court is outside of their control.
And we know the players in the stands have plenty of feedback for the coaches and athletes!! Yelling about what they do wrong, talking about the players behind their back, and cheering them on when they approve.
Who do you want to be?
The player, coach, or person in the stands in your own life?
The inner peace comes when we are standing on the court playing the game with the things we can control.