Why Your Environment Will Make or Break You!

Growing up, I went to two different high schools.?

The first school I went to had a poor environment.

The teachers were not at all strict.?

There was little enforcement of homework and deadlines.?

It was common for kids to?just?walk out of class or even skip class entirely.

Kids?would?often get into fights daily and get up to mischief with little to no action from teachers.

I must admit,?I got sucked into this.?

There was a period when I got into fights and barely completed schoolwork.?It was my choice?to engage in this behavior, but my?“why”?was that I just wanted to fit in and prove that I was strong.

Externally?it?felt right, but internally?it?felt wrong.

Then, around a year in, I started to have these realizations of?“what am I doing?”?

I began to step outside of my body when I was getting into completely ridiculous fights and just?asked?“Why?”

I would neglect my school work but then get bored engaging in mindless activities.

The internal voice finally started to get louder than the external voice.

The feeling of incompleteness had finally compounded.

From that period on, I decided to get my life in check, focus on my school work, behave in the way that felt right to me, and dream big!?Even if this meant cutting out those who?had a negative influence on?me, I was willing to do so.

I was ready to rip the band-aid off.

I?didn’t?care anymore.?

I wanted to better myself.?

I wanted to be me, not who I thought I should be.

As time progressed, I no longer felt that I fit in that?environment of school. It?wasn’t?that I thought I was better than anybody, it?was just that my goals, priorities, and way of thinking?didn’t?match the environment in which I?was surrounded.

Soon enough, I decided that I would switch schools and place myself in an environment where others would echo my goals and priorities, where I would?be challenged, and where I would fit in better.

However, there was seemingly one obstacle ahead of me…

I had to meet a certain GPA and prove?that?I was?a?driven?individual.

I worked tirelessly to push my GPA as high as?I could, sacrificing everything to maintain the focus?that?I needed.

I pulled it off!

On the whole, this was not an obstacle at all. It was?exactly?what I needed. My life had been preparing me for this moment for years?and?it was finally time to reap the fruits of my labor.

I was now in a school that championed personal excellence, welcomed ambitions that seemed?“impossible,”?and encouraged a collaborative community.

I truly felt like I belonged?and?I no longer had to make the horrible sacrifice of cutting people out whom I did not feel were a positive influence.?

We were all in the same boat, working towards achieving our dreams, pushing each other, and having fun along the way!

My favorite part is that I?was constantly challenged?to grow as an individual and never get complacent.?

In this journey, I?was taught?a tremendous lesson that has carried forward to this day and will continue to for the rest of my life…

Your environment matters! The people you?are surrounded?by matter! The priorities of the people around you matter!

It is not always about having the?same,?or even similar goals.

It is about having an echoed sense of priority and purpose.

You could pair successful opera singers with successful financial analysts and form a healthy community.?Sure?they each have vastly different careers and interests. Yet, their commitment to personal excellence and growth mirrors each other. Their ability to uplift?each other?and challenge each other allows them to keep growing.?Their ability to make sacrifices to get?to?where they want to?get?inspires those around them to do the same.

It's?all a?“we’re?in it together”?mindset.

That’s?why?“company culture”?is a hot topic right now.?

People have begun to realize the importance of surrounding themselves with like-minded individuals who uplift each other and echo each?other's?priorities.

Community is so fundamental to our survival as humans. Our ancestors, for example, used to belong to tribes that would stick together and have each?other's?back. A?study done recently?on longevity and happiness found that those who felt as if they belonged to a community were happier, showed better mental health throughout their life, and therefore lived longer on average.

So,?just?remember, your environment?has a profound impact on your happiness, your growth, and the way?you show up every day.

If you love your environment and the people you surround yourself with, then keep at it, keep pushing each other, and become the very best versions of yourselves!

If you are unhappy in your environment, as I was during my early school years, remember that it is never too late to change it. Only once you recognize what is important to you and where you want to be can you change it.?

It is never too late to change for the better!

You can turn it all around TODAY!

Enjoyed this newsletter? Explore more content and subscribe for future insights! Thanks for reading!

? Theo Anthony 2024