Is this Environment Empowering Me?

While deliberating on the influence my environment was having on me, I jotted down a specific question. It sparked a curiosity in me — particularly, in a social dynamic.

The question:

“Is this environment empowering me?”

Asking this question forced me to take a focused look at my social environment. I noticed I was spending an obnoxious amount of time with people out of habit and/or sheer boredom.

I decided to do what any reasonable person would do and consulted the great wisdom of Bruce Lee.

“One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always run to simplicity.”

- Bruce Lee

I began by eliminating.

I decided to focus my energy on mutually beneficial relationships. Mediocre relationships were no longer an option.

A few months (and a handful of awkward conversations) later, I found myself cultivating more meaningful social connections. The hardest part was making the decision and following through, but it was also the critical piece.

“…do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker.”

― Timothy Ferriss

Another question:

“Am I empowering my environment?”

Our environment can also be empowering if we construct it to play to our strengths.

This can be as drastic as a ‘burn the ships’ approach whereby you eliminate options of return and force yourself to overcome obstacles, or as smooth as integrating into a team, group, or organization by networking and relationship building.

And, of course, our environments can unfold more serendipitously, if we lean into them a bit.

When I was 17, I came across a flyer at a gym across town that led to 7 years of training at a Muay Thai kickboxing school in St. Louis.

In the school, we overcame many physical challenges and mental barriers. A rare camaraderie had formed over the years.

The group was diverse — different ages and ethnic backgrounds — which made for fascinating conversation and frequent paradigm shifts.

These are the types of experiences that are ripe for constructing what futurist and philosopher Jason Silva calls “multiple mindwares and cultural reality tunnels”. He explains this concept in the context of how bilingualism enhances creativity, but I believe it has many applications.

“If the facts don’t hang together in a latticework of theory, you don’t have them in usable form.”

- Charlie Munger

Do you actively seek out people that inspire you and challenge you to reach your goals/ overcome obstacles?

This can be approached formally, informally, and even through books. Author Jim Collins recommends we seek out our own personal board of directors who do not have to know they are on the board, and are selected by their character, rather than their achievements.

Surround yourself with others who respect your intentions and challenge you to be a better and most authentic person.

Find your path. Write your story.