Focus on Your Circle of Control for ROL

People have more data at their fingertips than ever before. And as AI gets smarter and more integrated into our digital lives, we're only going to be bombarded by more info.

And the more we learn about what's going on in the world, the more we tend to worry about it.

Every tick of the stock market, every election result, every earthquake in a far-off country, every text and social media post, and every credit card statement is vying for our attention through the exact same channels and with the exact same urgency. That non-stop deluge can make us feel powerless, depressed, and even more anxious about the future.

That's why it's more important than ever to establish some filters that can help us keep our worries in perspective and stay focused on the things that we truly can control.

Draw Your Circles

Stephen Covey popularized the idea of organizing our concerns in three “circles” in his classic business book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

From largest to smallest, they are:

·       Circle of Concern: Everything you could possibly worry about, from the Sun burning out in a couple billion years to next month’s car payment. This is the biggest of Covey’s circles and it also encapsulates the next two.

o   Circle of Influence: The things you’re concerned about that you can influence but ultimately can’t control. For example, you can’t make your dream company hire you. But you can improve your chances by broadening your professional skills and brushing up your resume. You can’t force your alma mater to accept your high school senior. But you can help her prep for the SATs and proofread her application essay.

§  Circle of Control: Want to be healthier in the New Year? You can control what you eat and how often you exercise. Want to save more money? You can revise your monthly budget. Want to spend more time with your spouse? Schedule date nights. This is the circle where your choices and actions lead to the most direct outcomes.

Examining your current Circles might help you reflect on what you’re really worried about and what you are – and aren’t – doing about it.

Grab a piece of paper, draw three circles, or just create three columns where you can jot down your daily concerns.

Which list or circle is the largest?

Which do you spend the most time thinking about?

What actions could you take in the near future to cross off some of these worries?

Life-Centered Thinking

If you’re expending too much of your time and mental energy outside of your Circle of Control, then you’re not going to feel like you’re in control of your life. Worries will pile up into anxiety. Anxiety will create stasis. Stasis will keep you rooted in place as life passes you by.

But if you focus on what you can control, you’ll start taking actions that will affect how you feel about three key areas of your life:

·       Wellbeing: Stress is bad for the mind and the body. Positivity and action will improve both your mental and physical health.

·       Progress: Don’t spend another year standing still. By focusing on what you can control, you can set achievable goals that you work towards every single day.   

·       Freedom: Your happiness shouldn’t depend on external events. See the future you want and start planning how you’ll get there.

If you’re ready to gain a new perspective on what you can control in your finances, your career, and your life, make an appointment to visit our office. Our Life-Centered Planning tools will open up new dialogues and spark new ideas that will make you excited for what you can accomplish this year.