Circle of Influence

A few years ago, I was complaining to a colleague about a team which had been slacking off and hadn't been pulling their weight.  I was so distressed by their inferior performance that it was affecting my own.  My colleague reminded me of the Covey Circles. 

In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Stephen R. Covey described proactive people as those who work on the things they can do something about.  These people focus on their circle of influence and as they do, the circle grows.  Reactive people instead waste their energy worrying about things they can't control, just as I was worrying about the other team. 
Circle of Influence
How much time do we waste thinking about what someone else will be wearing or doing?  Or maybe a colleague is preparing a piece of work and the competitor in you worries that it'll be better than your work.  Have you ever had a sleepless night worrying about something that might happen at work the following day, only for the situation not to happen at all?

For the month of May I challenge us - let's focus our attention on our circles of influence, let's work on the things we can change.

Photo by Thomas AE on Unsplash

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 
Courage to change the things I can, 
And wisdom to know the difference

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