A short YouTube clip (Scott Empringham) explaining the 'circle of control / influence / concern' model and reframing problems as opportunities for expanding one's circle of control. The speaker argues that problems sit at the edge of our control and, when solved, increase our discipline, skills, and insight—thus acting as catalysts for personal growth. The clip ends with a prompt for viewer feedback.
Chapters
Here's a really weird but cool visual way to see how problems can actually help us expand. First, you recall the circle of influence model. Here's what it is. There's three circles, and in the center is a circle of control. The next ring is a circle of influence, and the last ring is the circle of concern. Inside the circle of control is everything immediately under our control. Our bodies, our language, what we eat, drink, decisions we make, how we conduct ourselves. Outside that circle are things we can influence or we're concerned about, but we can't control. Our friends, our family, economy, the weather, the government. But here's a cool way to look at problems. First, problems are things that we haven't yet figured out how to solve, how to control. They're typically right at the edge of our circle of control. And when we don't deal with problems, what usually happens? Another one shows up and another one and another one. If we don't solve those problems, more and more problems show up, until finally you go to the edge of the circle of control. You break through and you just deal with it. You solve it. And when you do, your whole circle of control expands. Because now you have more discipline, more insight, more skill, whatever it took to solve it. So another way of looking at problems could be that they're catalysts for growth. Pollyanna, Positive thinking. Let me know in the comments below.