Influence, where?

Have you ever felt frustrated by things that are beyond your control? Have you wondered why circumstances sometimes seem to conspire against you, in your personal life or in the professional environment? If so, you are not alone. Most of us have experienced that feeling of helplessness at some point. I have been able to recognize it in some of the coaching sessions I have been lucky enough to have last week.

The author Stephen Covey gave us a powerful tool to confront this frustration and regain our emotional balance: the Circle of Influence.

Covey described the Circle of Influence as a key tool for understanding and managing our personal sphere of control. This concept is based on a fundamental idea: there are things over which we have direct influence and others over which we have no control. The key to a more fulfilling and less frustrating life is learning to differentiate between the two and focusing on what we can change.

The source of our frustration often lies in our attempt to control the uncontrollable. We worry about the weather, the traffic, the opinions of others, the outcome of a business where we are not the only ones involved and we even try to change the people around us. This constant fight against external forces wears us down and leaves us emotionally exhausted.

Covey's Circle of Influence is represented as two concentric circles: the inner circle, which represents the things we can control, and the outer circle, which encompasses circumstances that are beyond our direct control. The key to inner peace and success lies in focusing most of our energy on the inner circle, where we can really make a difference.

Accepting results beyond what we have done in our personal life or professional environment is an act of emotional maturity and is at the heart of emotional intelligence. It means recognizing that, although we cannot always change circumstances, we can change the way we respond to them.

By accepting that there are things we cannot control, we release a great deal of stress and frustration from our lives. As we develop our emotional intelligence and learn to let go of the outcome, we find the inner peace and power to make real change in the areas that really matter.

If you have given your best, to create a positive influence, you have to accept the result whatever it may be. Whether it responds to your wishes or not.

#influence #emotionalintelligence #doyourbest