Sphere of Influence

[Akavit]

TRIGGER WARNING: shirtless, old white guy in the video.

I've recently watched a video that has a simple message but one that is universally applicable.  It's actually on the topic of manufacturing but this particular advice works well in all aspects of life.

It's about the concept of "sphere of influence".  Every individual has a circle of people and/or circumstances about them that they can directly influence.  A CEO may be working with 12,000 people and a billion dollars.  A college student might have a decision to make about classwork.

When people learn something new and exciting, they often want to share it with the world.  The advice in this video is to forget the world and confine activities within the sphere of influence.  This is where people can make a difference.  Oddly enough, doing a good job here often ends up creating influence elsewhere.  This concept is similar to the Catholic one of first becoming holy, then letting God's grace spread out to others.  You can't change anything without first changing self.

It's pretty common for me to encounter people frustrated with how things are going in their life or in the world.  While understandable, it's important to learn how to set aside those concerns and focus on what matters.  Focus on that which is changeable and do not worry about the rest.  That's the message in the video below.





[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRjlIkj2Nw[/yt]