How to use the circle of influence and concern to your advantage?

«What will happen to my job in a year? Why does my partner take things this way? What will happen if the markets change and this product is not successful? If you reflect for a moment on the things that keep you up at night, you will discover that many are beyond your control.. This is what the theory of the circle of influence and concern tells us.

This proposal was formulated by the renowned leadership expert Stephen Covey, in his best seller titled The 7 habits for highly effective people (2011). It consists of a valuable approach that allows you to focus your energy and resources on what you can change and that is under your influence.

Only in this way will you advance with greater success in the complex journey of life. Below, we detail how you can apply this strategy.

What is the circle of influence and concern?

The circle of influence and concern is intended to allow you to visualize where you should focus your emotional, cognitive and behavioral efforts.. To better understand this model, visualize two spheres. The first, influence, which includes everything that is under your control. The second symbolizes what completely escapes your control.

Think that, in an increasingly complex world like ours, any challenge and problem can immobilize you. You process it so overwhelmingly that you don’t know what resources to apply or how to react.

To do this, the model that we now present to you, designed by Stephen Covey and inspired by the theories of Stoic philosophy, will be of great help. Next, we describe what the dimensions that make it up represent.

The circle of worry, what you cannot master

This first area is located in a space very far from you. Although you would like to, you cannot reach it because it is outside your domain. This way, The circle of worry symbolizes all those personal and global issues over which you will almost never have direct control.. And, indeed, something like this causes great frustration and stress in you.

The fact that you feel this discomfort when you see that, no matter how hard you try, there are always realities that escape you, is normal. Research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience suggests that perceived control is essential for your mental health and achievement. If you do not experience this perception, your brain often reacts adversely.

Therefore, it will be of great help to you to understand which areas are not within your influence:

The events of the past: What happened yesterday is immutable, no one can alter it. It is a reality that you must accept to avoid falling into a labyrinth of useless and irrational thoughts.External circumstances: That’s right, everything that happens around you, such as social, political and economic events, are dimensions that you cannot foresee or control.Over time: Who wouldn’t love to be able to stop the passage of years at a given moment so that certain things won’t change? As you well know, this is impossible.People’s actions: Indeed, although you can sometimes have a certain influence on others, you will not always be able to control their reactions, decisions and feelings. Much less his way of being.Biological aspects: Sometimes, despite leading a very healthy life, anyone can get sick. Your biology and genetics are aspects that, at the moment, are difficult to manipulate or alter in your favor.

The circle of influence, what is under your control

The circle of influence and concern theory places the focus on that area where you can take meaningful action and make a positive difference. We are talking about that region that is closest to you and that, sometimes, you neglect or do not value enough. Because, although you may not believe it, you have more control than you think.

In this sense, If you are able to focus on everything that you can manage in your favor, your mental health will notice it.. An example of this is what they highlight in the Journal of Experimental Psychopathology when they point out that when a person becomes aware that he can master a danger or threat, he regulates his anxiety much better.

Next, we describe those spheres that will always be under your control and on which you can focus:

You have control over your decisions. You are free to set your goals and objectives. You can take better care of yourself and prioritize yourself when you need to. You can choose who you want to have in your life and who you don’t. You have the ability to manage your time effectively. You can control your communication and what you say at every moment. You have the freedom to choose the actions and behaviors you execute. You are free to shape your attitude, the way you react to what happens to you. You have the power of learning and integrating new coping skills.

The circle of influence and concern is a very useful cognitive tool that will allow you to better regulate your emotional reactions and focus on what really matters. To do this, it is important that you are aware of how you process each challenge and which areas are under your control.

Strategies to expand the circle of trust and reduce worry

Stephen Covey’s circle of influence and concern theory emphasizes an idea that will help you. “To improve your reality you must work on the only dimension over which you do have control: yourself.” If you focus all your resources, energies and will to change on your own being, you will bring well-being to your daily life.

This model is effective in improving both your personal and professional spheres. We encourage you, therefore, to reflect and put into practice the following dimensions.

To defuse worry, make decisions

Surely, on more than one occasion, you have found yourself trapped in cycles of ruminative and excessive thinking. This cognitive dynamic often has its origin in placing your gaze on aspects that are outside your control. Therefore, a strategy that will be useful in this situation is to apply, first of all, the thought-stopping technique.

This cognitive-behavioral resource invites you to stop thinking to reduce anxiety. Then, more calmly, You must identify those worries that make you suffer and solve them. Making rational and thoughtful decisions is the most useful way to break the cycle of worry.

Remember what you can control and what is beyond your control

In your daily life you will face multiple situations over which you have no control. Being clear about this will be an excellent starting point for making better decisions. What, for example, your family members or co-workers sometimes choose to do will be actions that you can talk to them about, but that you will not always be able to direct in your favor.

Thus, Being quite clear in your mind about the dimensions that are in your area of ​​influence will be the best strategy to transform your reality.. Few experiences are more rewarding than feeling like you have control over your own actions.

In this regard, a work published in Frontiers in Psychology has been able to determine, through the application of a scale that measures this dimension, that experiences of perceived control do improve people’s performance. Therefore, do not hesitate to work on this construct.

Manage the fear of uncertainty

Your reality is dominated by uncertain and unclear plots that you must accept. Nobody has a crystal ball to anticipate everything that is going to happen. Understand that life is a subtle combination of events that you can write in your agenda and others that you can never foresee.. Assuming this contradiction is an exercise in well-being and maturity.

Boost your self-confidence

To have greater dominance in the circle of influence, it will help you enhance your personal development. Consequently, one of the areas that you must improve as much as possible, first of all, is your self-confidence. If you feel confident in your resources, skills and competencies, you will develop more proactive behaviors to handle challenges.

A study published in the journal Journal of Business Venturing Insights points out that this characteristic predicts business and entrepreneurial success. It is an approach that will always place the attention on yourself to effectively confront what is beyond your control.

Decide where to focus your efforts and you will live better

There is a lesson you learn when you read the book The 7 habits for highly effective people by Stephen Covey: Every day you have to decide where you focus your energies and resources. There will be realities that do not require your emotional, cognitive and behavioral investment. For example, investing energy in a relationship where there is no love.

Accepting what is no longer in your influence scenario is a task that you must work on to shape a more satisfying and happy life.. Put these tips into practice and create the reality you deserve.

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