Your Circles of Influence

Deb Dobbs is a Consultant and Life Coach. Reach her at DobbsCommunication.com

D-I-Y (Do It Yourself) is a popular system for renovating things. Whether for your home, office or some object you own, you can follow a process to take what is and make it better. Likewise, with your thinking, actions and choices of speech, you can take steps to improve how you react. You can experience change in your relationships and outcomes. You can adjust how you respond. By selecting different responses, you can experience different outcomes. Be encouraged. You really do get to choose how you experience your life.

As the late great radio personality, Paul Harvey would say and I paraphrase, “…now it’s time for the rest of the story”. Yes, the rest of the story is your back-story. Do you question relationship failures that seemingly recur? Are you frustrated by relationship expectations that twist off course? Do your plans deflate to nothing? Are you unable to find socially appropriate ways to express your feelings?  You can change results by your attention to how you communicate ideas and feelings. In your renovation-quest you can develop strategies for better outcomes. You can develop skills to examine your trouble areas of self-identity.  Then with renewed understanding, you can strengthen your relationship building tools and processes. You can focus-in on ways to cultivate interactions that benefit your highest self.

Your first step in managing your circles of influence is to recognize who and what has authority over your thinking, actions or choice of speech. Influence can be generated from outside sources or from within yourself. What keeps you stuck? Your self-confidence can increase as you examine barriers. Your perseverance can lead to exciting breakthroughs. Circles of influence filter how you make sense of your experiences. Be intentional to monitor and adjust how you choose to communicate with others.