Your Circle of Strength
Do you feel strong right now?
It’s been a tough week for all of us – we’re having to draw on all our resources to ride the waves.
Today I want to share a technique that I know will help when you feel triggered or fear.
But before that, if you missed the grounding techniques from last week read this: ‘How to stay grounded when the world is shaking’.
Circle of Strength
Have you heard of the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence?
Correct me if I’m wrong but the model was developed by Stephen Covey author of '7 Habits of Highly Effective People'.
Within the Circle of Concern is everything that is out of your control and within the Circle of Influence is everything you can control.
I’m oversimplifying it here, but he defined proactive people as those who focus on what they can influence and reactive people as those who focus on their concerns.
Consequently, the proactive folk end up being more effective and successful whilst the reactive folk tend towards being victims of circumstance.
You can use this technique for any situation and I think it’s particularly helpful when you feel fear rising about all the ‘what-ifs?’
(If need be go back to the grounding exercises first).
How to create your own Circle of Strength
Draw 2 large concentric circles on a piece of A4
In the outer ring (the Circle of Concern) write out all your concerns and everything that you can’t control. For example, news headlines, government decisions, the economy
In the inner circle (the Circle of Influence) write out everything that is within your control. For example, how you react and behave, who you talk to, what you say, where you source your information, limiting time spent on social media
It's easy to escalate a concern when everything is jumbled up in your head so getting it out on paper will give you perspective
Keep your mind focused on that inner circle – it’s going to be your source of strength
(handwritten is better than typed)
Going in is the new going out & my next prediction
It appears my Winter Solstice 'Going in is the new going out' blog was predictive. All my posts have been introspective since then.
Today, I have another prediction to share.
We may be in unchartered territory here but we will come out the other side. At which point companies will be crying out for great people.
The market will be highly competitive. No matter whether companies are hiring or pruning only the best will thrive.
So I think Mr Covey’s technique is going to prove very helpful and you know my motto – Success is an Inside Job!
ABOUT ME
I’m Tracy, Career Consultant, former Executive Headhunter and I help senior executives and leaders to land great jobs and be successful at work through 1:1 coaching.
I work with clients around the world from my London-based Zoom office.
If you’re ready for straight-talk and career guidance get in touch – let's start the conversation.
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