Changing your environment can be the best method for isolating what’s you, versus what is environmental. It’s like you get to become your own sixth grade science fair experiment.
Of course, if you have the need to isolate what’s you versus what is your environment, chances are that you are in an evaluative phase. You aren’t getting what you want out of life, or it’s just not going your way, and you need to make a change.
But here’s the catch – if you aren’t willing to humble yourself to get to the bottom of what’s preventing you from getting what you want, then – wherever you go, there you are. Nothing will change, except the scenery. And by writing this, what I mean is that yes, some of what’s going on could be your surroundings, and how they influence you, but how you relate and respond to your surroundings plays a big part.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the lowest common denominator of your life, is you.
I had the opportunity to relocate to Sandpoint, a very small town in Idaho, from a very big town in Texas (Houston) for a new job.
It was a life changing opportunity. Here are a few of the lessons I learned.
Be Confident Enough in Your Own Skills to Not Need Validation
I wanted to do good work, and get recognized for it. What I finally learned – it’s not that simple, and it’s not about you. It’s about meeting company goals, and it’s about your boss, and making your boss look good. It’s best to approach your job like a consultant that is there to help improve the situation and make those around you look like rock stars. Self-promotion is important, but that’s another topic entirely, and it doesn’t even have to start with good work.
You Don’t Have to Like It, Just Do It
This came to me several times, in several different fashions. 1. You have to be willing to make mistakes and fail. That’s the only way you will learn. I made myself learn how to ski, and I learned through skiing that fear is mostly in my head. Most of the things I want in life won’t kill me, but I was avoiding half of them.
2. You can only experience pain moment by moment, not faster, not slower. I learned this by forcing myself to go to yoga every day. So you just have to get through those things you hate to do instead of letting fear, dread, procrastination…take a stronghold. Discipline is something that must be learned if you lack it. I totally lacked it.
Those were two big lessons, many more to follow.