The Circle of Influence

If you look at a sheet of paper as the universe, and place a small dot on the paper, the dot will represent you. The dot would be way too large, but the fact that we are very small when compared to the universe is not the point. In fact, we are each a unique creation in this world, and each of us has a purpose and a path to follow.

Now draw two circles around the dot that represents you.

The space closest to you inside the first circle represents your circle of influence. All the things you can impact. Things such as your health, finances, family, and the multitude of other things in your life that are affected by your time and decisions.

The ring of space between these two circles is your circle of concern. These are the things you care about but have no real impact on. Now everyone is different, but most of us can’t impact global warming, child hunger, and an endless list of other things that are all over the news, social media, and sometimes take up a lot of our time and energy.

Now I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t care about these things or donate to those in a position to make positive changes, but I am suggesting we should recognize what things fall into which circles.

The magic comes when we do a better job of focusing on our circle of influence which over time will cause it to expand and take in more of the things in our circle of concern.

When you have your finances taken care of you have extra money to contribute in a meaningful way to other causes. When your family is secure, stable and productive, you are in a better position to help the homeless.

See how it works… It’s not a complicated idea, but it will help you focus and solve the problems you can. Then you will be able to join others to work on the big stuff.

I saw this Idea at least 30 years ago and have shared it with friends whenever it seemed to apply. It is amazing how people can waste huge amounts of time and energy on things they can’t fix while their marriage or finances are falling apart.