Free Tool: Sphere of Control - How to Worry Less About the Things We Can't Control
Free Tool: Sphere of Control - How to Worry Less About the Things We Can't Control
"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." - Benjamin Franklin
Anxiety is worrying about a future event, something we clearly have no real control over, because it's not even guaranteed. Yet each day many people wake up with an underlying anxiety about the future or what others think of them. I too was like this years ago, and slip into this habit now and then.
Left unchecked, anxiety can run rampant of our mindset and lives, leading to a relentless focus on the things that we can't control, wasting both energy and time.
Fitting In and Acceptance
Fitting in with society and other people is pretty important for our mental health. Humans have long been social creatures, often focused more on others than ourselves. You can imagine from an evolutionary point of view how fitting in was very important. If you weren't a contributing part of the tribe, you might have been kicked out, and in a world where we weren't yet the dominant species, this might have been a big issue.
Not much has changed now. Even at a young age we want to fit in with others; we mimic others from a young age, learning especially from our parents, and crying when we aren't included in the other kids games'. It's only until our teens when we decide to rebel against authority, including our parents, by trying to fit in with the other kids even more (while convincing ourselves we're not like our parents). All the while searching for our place, and our tribe. If we're lucky, we won't fall in with the wrong crowd.
This doesn't change greatly when we leave school, as even into young adulthood, many of us haven't quite formed our identity. The issue comes that while high school may feel like the worst place to be at the time, it forces interaction with peers at the same, or very similar age. Whereas moving into the work force, we don't necessarily find another tribe. For many people, work colleagues are simply that, and with an ever increasing busy schedule, disconnection from friends can occur, leaving many lonely.
And so we worry about if we'll fit in, concerning ourselves more with what others think of us, than what we think of ourselves.
Outcomes Versus the Process
Another reason why our mindset can become affected is because we focus too heavily on the outcome of something. We want to lose 10 kilograms and get so caught up in trying to achieve our goal, we get easily frustrated when we don't reach it as quickly as we like. That frustration mirrors the frustration we felt when we first wanted to make a change, and suddenly we lose focus and discipline to achieve it, wondering why we even tried in the first place.
Instead, if we can become process oriented, we can keep working toward improving habits and behaviours instead, knowing the result will come in time. This doesn't mean the outcome can be completely ignored of course. If we're not making any progress towards our goal, we need to pause and see where we're going wrong.
This can be especially true at work and business. We want to deliver a result for a client, we want to grow the business and we have KPI's to achieve, but it's incorrect to think we control all of that when there are other humans in the business to deal with, and beyond the business, market forces (and sometimes even mother nature) pushing and pulling the business in all direction. Put simply, there are inputs which we have limited control over.
Acceptance
Ultimately, the aim is to understand what we have control over, and forget limit the amount of energy and time we spend on the rest, understanding some things we can influence, and the rest is to be let go. Fill out the diagram below, placing in each sphere the things you either have total control over, some control over, or no control over. Give deep thought to this as a way to make yourself aware of your sphere of control to form a stronger mindset. Here are some examples:
Total Control: My actions, time I wake up
Some Control: My thoughts, my work schedule
No Control: The weather, what others think of me
FREE TOOL: SPHERE OF CONTROL
How did you go with the Sphere of Control exercise? Need help to improve your mindset, along with your health and happiness? Book in for a Free Intake Interview below to find out how PEAK Strength & Nutrition can help!
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL RECEIVE WHEN YOU JOIN PEAK
Access to the Fundamentals Program: Not just one session covering all you need to learn, but up to 8 sessions of programming to take you from beginner to knowledgable or to improve you current training methods.
Vision Casting Session: Beyond your normal goal setting session, this will be cover your goals AND provide you the blueprint and habits required to achieve your goals across multiple areas of life.
Free Custom Nutrition Plan: A nutrition plan not only based on your goals, but also on your current schedule and capacity, the nutrition will be designed for you.
Unlimited Access to Coaches: Access to coaches for help with training, nutrition or mindset
Access to In Depth Mobility Library: learn how to take care of your own body with a 50+ video exercise archive that will help you feel great from head to toe!
Free goodies such as shirts, books, sweat towels: look and feel the part not only with your training and nutrition, but with your accessories too!
And much more…
Simply fill out the form on the right and I’ll be in contact with you within 24 hours to discuss the best time for the interview. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have before the interview as well.
