We are all moulded by the environment we live in. How could we not be?
Take Oprah Winfrey, for instance. The talk-show powerhouse grew up surrounded by poverty and abuse and yet at 14, she went to live with her father, a man who built his home on discipline and accountability.
He told her she was too smart to be getting Cs. She believed him and went on to become one of the most influential figures in entertainment and business.
Then there’s Mike Tyson, he was in and out of juvenile detention until he met Cus D’Amato at the age of 13. Cus didn’t just train boxers, he shaped minds.
He introduced Mike to visualisation, affirmations and the power of discipline. Under Cus’s guidance, Tyson became the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion in history.
When Cus passed away, Tyson’s environment changed quickly, leading the boxing champion to drugs, alcohol and chaos. In a matter of months, he lost everything: titles, wealth and his reputation.
The reason I’m telling you this is that I am a firm believer that the environment is as important to our pursuit of success as the knowledge we accumulate and the habits we build. Maybe more.
Our environment isn’t just where we live, it’s everything we take in:
- The people we talk to
- The shows we watch
- The social feeds we scroll
- The places we go
- The voices we trust
If that environment is negative, we absorb it. Spend time with people who complain, blame and procrastinate and soon, you will too.
Spend time with those who are positive, responsible and proactive and watch yourself transform.
You see, our thoughts are shaped by our surroundings. Beliefs follow thoughts. Actions follow beliefs – it’s a chain reaction and it begins with the environment you put yourself in.
Especially when life throws us curveballs. Let’s say you stop drinking but still go to the bar with your mates on Saturdays. That’s fine … until you get laid off. One of your friends says, “Come on mate, if ever there was a time to have a beer, it’s now.”
Suddenly, you’re back to it – drinking, blaming, spiralling. Not because you’re weak. But because your environment made the choice easier than the alternative.
Ask yourself:
- Who is the most positive, proactive and accountable person you know? Can you spend more time with them?
- Who’s constantly negative, blaming others or stuck in procrastination? How much of your time are they taking up?
- What content are you feeding your mind? Is it fuelling your growth or draining it?
There’s a saying: “Success often requires us to leave our group.”
While I don’t fully agree, you don’t have to ditch your friends, but you do need to be intentional. We mimic the environment around us before (and until) we can create our own.
Success in any area is rooted in the soil around it.
So, I implore you to choose wisely. Because in the end, you don’t rise above your environment, you become a reflection of it.
