CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE VS CIRCLE OF CONCERN

If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole World would be clean - Mother Theresa

Too many of us obsess with goings-on far away .  We spend precious hours bemoaning the state of affairs in distant lands ,   the inefficiency and corruption of our governments ,  and to what purpose ?  Does it really help if no action can be  taken ?    Are some of us never happy unless unhappy ?  While others seem endowed with pleasant genes regardless of daily challenges ?    

All that time spent within a vast and vague outer “Circle of Concern” that we are powerless to influence ,  while we neglect the needs at our doorstep , the issues within our INNER “Circle of Influence” .    Spending valuable  hours and days doing efficiently , that which shouldn’t be done at all.  

When faced with a situation we have no control over , the only thing we can do is to choose our attitude towards it.  Between a circumstance and our response is a milli-length of space, and here lies our CHOICE.  Do we self-sabotage in negativity & fear by tsk-tsking over forces too big to comprehend ,  or do we roll up our sleeves and get to work within our circle of influence ?   

Steven Covey’s Cardinal Rule - “ Be Proactive”   ((the-seven-habits-revisited.html))
Do what you can  ,  
​Do your best and leave the rest , my motto.    
Do your part , without attaching yourself too much to the results of your perception.  Life has a way of working out ,  even though sometimes its solutions might not match your own.   Keep working at and expanding the inner more specific circle of influence .   Hack away as you make progress , feel empowered , begin to make a difference ,  and chip away at that outer shell of concern.    

Increasing the scope of your COI  =  Reduces fear and anxiety
Giving too much thought to things within your COC =  Increases fear and worry 

A short and apt worksheet , applying these Circles of Influence and Control to Covid Times. 
What Can I Control? (Free Worksheet!) — Miriam Mogilevsky, LISW
 www.miriammogilevsky.me/blog/circlesofcontrol
​
Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence - Google Slides

​The On/Off Trick and Other Best Hacks for Handling Stress - Nir and Far