Worry less. Influence more.
You want more things to be different than you have the power to change.
But imagine only concerning yourself with what you can actually affect.
You’d feel less anxiety.
More empowerment.
Less fear.
More confidence.
Less frustration.
More satisfaction.
There are two ways of doing this:
Worry less.
Influence more.
Imagine three circles, one inside the other inside the other.
The smallest one is what you your control.
The medium one is what you can influence.
The biggest one is what you worry about.
You want the biggest circle to get smaller.
So you worry less about things you cannot influence or control.
You want the medium size circle to get bigger.
So you can influence more of the things that concern you.
How?
First, name everything in the three circles.
For example:
You worry about Organisational Strategy.
You influence Company Culture.
You control your relationship to your team.
Next, proactively work to extend your influence into your concerns.
Network to grow your knowledge about Strategy more widely.
Be curious to ask questions to better understand how strategy is formulated.
Improve your listening skills so you understand what lies behind decisions.
Finally, accept the limits of your influence.
Turn down the volume on what lies beyond those limits.
Be patient enough to wait for your influence to grow.
Champion the work of those who can influence your remaining concerns.
Worry is like a rocking chair;
It gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.
Worry less;
influence more.
