Life is what happens when you are making other plans.  And we’ve experienced lots of life’s events since the January issue of Viewpoints.  We’ve had a joyous new beginning with the arrival of our new granddaughter in mid-January, a family gathering with all the grandkids, a busier-than-usual series of consulting appointments in four different states, pet surgery to insert a feeding tube and four feedings a day to nurse a sick kitty back to health, and a sense of peaceful closure with the passing of my 95 year old mother-in-law after a long, slow Alzheimer’s related decline.

Things have not been easy, but in the words of Unsinkable Molly Brown, I ain’t down yet!   Far from it!  Every day brings new opportunities and new experiences – and I don’t want to miss out on a bit of it.  How about you?
 
Warmest Regards,

Charles (Charlie) Boyer
Infinite Perspectives, LLC
www.infiniteperspectives.com

The Environments of YOU.   What in the world is an “environment of YOU?”  Maybe this is a different perspective for you.  “Environment” is something you live in and can’t change, right?  Wrong!   “Environment” can refer to your surroundings, your natural world, your upbringing, a setting or situation, your location.  Can you change your surroundings?  Of course.  Can you change your upbringing?  Perhaps not – perhaps so.  Many times, we can change our environments, but we don’t think we can.

Has this ever happened to you?

• You read a terrific “how-to” book but didn’t follow through with the author’s “sure-fire” solutions for success
• You resolved to get more exercise, but soon found yourself back in the couch potato routine
• You set ambitious goals for your business, but after two weeks, it’s back to business as usual.

If so, join the many who let themselves be controlled by their environments.  Sure, you have set goals, capitalized on good ideas, resolved to make improvements in your health, and have actually made a few changes.  But the changes weren’t sustainable – because your environments remained the same.

Face it – we’re all creatures of habit.  It’s hard to establish new habits and to break old ones.  Mark Twain was reported to have said, “I can quit smoking anytime.  I’ve done it a thousand times.”

The problem isn’t always a weak will or a lack of good intentions -- it’s that we don’t develop an environment that helps us sustain results.

What’s an Environment?  Basically, it’s all the parts of our lives that interact with YOU (your unchanging core).  Dave Buck, CEO and author of A New Way to Coach, wrote that each of us has a “…unique bi-directional relationship with the world around us.  We adapt to the environment around us and create the environment as a reflection of ourselves at the same time.”

I like that – a bi-directional relationship.  A two-way street.  Give and take.  You aren’t a prisoner of your environment.  You are changed by it, and you can change it, too.

What Are the ENVIRONMENTS OF YOU?   As I read Dave Buck’s presentation on “A New Way to Coach” (Coachville, 2005) I thought the 9 Environments he described were very helpful in understanding the various elements that we interact with in our daily lives.  The more I thought about these elements, the more I realized that who we really are may be different from who we think we are.  So much of what we think of ourselves is closely related to the way we interact with parts of our environment.  Here are the “9 Environments” described by Dave:

• YOU – the part of you that is unchanging;  the inner being of you.
• Memetic – your beliefs, knowledge, ideas, cultural norms, frameworks
• Body – your physical body, health, energy level, vitality, feelings
• Self – your personality, gifts, talents, strengths, emotions
• Spiritual – your connection to your Source, love, purpose, values
• Relationships – your family, friends, close colleagues, support personnel
• Network – your community, customers, strategic partners, web presence
• Financial – your money, investments, budgeting, insurance
• Physical – your home, office, furnishings, equipment, technology, art music
• Nature – your interaction with the outdoors, beauty, seasons, cycle of life

Did you notice that – except for YOU – these are things ABOUT you.  Your physical environment is not YOU.  Your financial environment is not YOU.  Your cultural norms are not YOU.  Yes, these things become a part of YOU, but they are NOT YOU.  The unchanging part of YOU is YOU.  Everything else CAN CHANGE, if you work to create an environment.

Why is this important?  Because we cannot truly make changes in our lives if we do not also change our environments.  If you are in a workplace that thrives on vicious gossip, do you become a part of it, or look for more positive ways to interact with others?  If you are planning to move to a new job or a new location, ask yourself what changes you must make to create a more positive experience for you and your family.  Or will it be business as usual, just in a new location?  I know of one lady who recently moved from our neighborhood.  Nothing was right with her – the lawns weren’t maintained to her satisfaction, the homeowners’ association wasn’t doing things right, the neighbors weren’t friendly – so she moved.  What do you think – will she be happy in her new neighborhood?  I’ll bet the answer is no.  Sounds to me like she lives in an angry environment.  The sad thing is that she has chosen to be unhappy.  She’s moved, but she’s taken her hurtful environment with her.  She should create a new environment for herself.

Create Your Environment?  Of course.  We do it all the time.  Let’s consider just our Physical environment.  When we buy a new chair for the living room, hang a beautiful picture, apply a fresh coat of paint to the walls, we’re creating a better physical environment for ourselves.  It’s the same room, but we’ve created something new and different.  Doesn’t that give you renewed energy and a better feeling about your surroundings?

How about our Nature environment.  Who doesn’t feel better on a bright, sunny spring day, when the air is still a bit cool, the sun is warm but not yet hot, the grass is greening up, leaves are sprouting, flowers blooming – well, you get the picture, don’t you?  As I’m writing this, it’s cool and rainy, but the image of that beautiful spring day still lingers in my mind and gives me a sense of renewal and revitalization.

What’s the difference in these two environments?  One is a real change – fresh paint, a new picture, a new chair – and the room has changed.  The other is a change in the mind – it’s early spring, but there for a minute, a hint of summer to follow.

The important point to remember is that we can create environments that help change us.  If you want to experience more positive, creative energy in your life, hang out with positive, creative people.  If you want to be ethical, associate with ethical people. 

A CHALLENGE TO YOU:  Take a good look at your environments.  What one do you most want to change?  What’s one thing you can do to start that change?  Whatever it takes, commit yourself to making one positive change.  Write it down, put a date on it when you will make that change, and ask someone to hold you to it.  It does work! 

QUIPS & QUOTES:

Everything starts with yourself – with you making up your mind about what you’re going to do with your life.  I tell kids that it’s a cruel world and that the world will bend them either left or right, and it’s up to them to decide which way to bend.  (Tony Dorsett)

Never be bullied into silence.  Never allow yourself to be made a victim.  Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.  (Harvey Fierstein)

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.  (Lily Tomlin)

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.  (Robert Byrne)

If you don’t learn to laugh at troubles, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you grow old.  (Edward Howe)

NEXT ISSUE:  Seven Essentials for Leadership Success.  It doesn’t really matter whether you lead a business, lead a band, or coach a football team – it’s all about people and how you work with people to get the results you want.  Mastering these seven essential skills and qualities will help you be an effective leader.

Infinite Perspectives Coach-Based Consulting can help you reach your goals if you are, or know someone who is . . .

• A leader frustrated by enormous tasks to accomplish with a team of difficult people, and want to create a program of excellence
• Overwhelmed by an impending change (Retirement, Relocation, Re-start) and want to take charge of your life
• Hitting walls of resistance and want to open windows of opportunity