The Situation
The influence situations have on our thinking and behavior is lost to most. Unfortunately without this mindfulness, one is far more prone to fall victim to these situational influences when making decisions. Sometimes this is not a big deal and the consequences are minimal. And at other times, these can be catastrophic.
The old saying parents used to say to their children about jumping off a bridge if all their friends did is more true than not. Ok, jumping off a bridge is operating at the margin of the extreme but research shows that the mindsets and habits of people we surround ourselves with can greatly influence our own. Peer pressure is a very real thing whether it is colleagues at work, your closest friends, or family. The management of time also greatly influences our mindset. How often have you come close to losing it when you were running late for something that was important or going to cost you money?
We read about and hear about people doing crazy things all the time. Granted, crazy can be an influence, but only a very small percentage of the population actually falls into what professionals would consider crazy. So what explains the behavior? Situations.
There is no one thing that usually causes any person to do something but situations have been shown to yield great power in this regard. Situations, which include people, time, and environments, have been shown to be able to get people to do things in conflict with their core values. If most of your social circle is divorcing, studies show that you yourself will be more statistically likely to divorce. If most of your social circle is obese, you are more likely to become obese. If the people you are mostly surrounded by are living engaged and fulfilling lives, you too are more likely to live a engaging and more fulfilling life. The lesson is to choose wisely.
Our most effective weapon against situational influences is to first acknowledge they exist and to understand and respect their power. Having clearly identified core values and being mindful of making decisions day in and day out in accordance with these values will bring forth mindfulness should you face a situation that could mindlessly coax you into doing something that would compromise your core values. Our core values are those we things we choose to define who we are. My personal core value words are empowered, optimistic, resilient, loyal. I try to keep this at the forefront of my thinking so that every decision and choice I make falls in line with this. In addition, I have social core values. Values I strive for when dealing with people. These are authentic, loving, compassionate and committed.
Having clearly defined values not only helps to avoid situational influences that may not be the most productive but help you to lead an engaged and fulfilling life. A life with congruence.
I operate off of the notion that most people do the best they can with what they know. Unfortunately most people think they know more than what they actually do. This doesn't excuse ill behavior but helps to explain it in my mind which creates a place where I can work to be more understanding and less judgemental of certain types of behaviors. Situational over disposition. We have the ability to consciously choose the situations we find ourselves in so we can make the choice of being the person we want to be.
#elliotyi
#paradigmleft
#habits
#mindset
The old saying parents used to say to their children about jumping off a bridge if all their friends did is more true than not. Ok, jumping off a bridge is operating at the margin of the extreme but research shows that the mindsets and habits of people we surround ourselves with can greatly influence our own. Peer pressure is a very real thing whether it is colleagues at work, your closest friends, or family. The management of time also greatly influences our mindset. How often have you come close to losing it when you were running late for something that was important or going to cost you money?
We read about and hear about people doing crazy things all the time. Granted, crazy can be an influence, but only a very small percentage of the population actually falls into what professionals would consider crazy. So what explains the behavior? Situations.
There is no one thing that usually causes any person to do something but situations have been shown to yield great power in this regard. Situations, which include people, time, and environments, have been shown to be able to get people to do things in conflict with their core values. If most of your social circle is divorcing, studies show that you yourself will be more statistically likely to divorce. If most of your social circle is obese, you are more likely to become obese. If the people you are mostly surrounded by are living engaged and fulfilling lives, you too are more likely to live a engaging and more fulfilling life. The lesson is to choose wisely.
Our most effective weapon against situational influences is to first acknowledge they exist and to understand and respect their power. Having clearly identified core values and being mindful of making decisions day in and day out in accordance with these values will bring forth mindfulness should you face a situation that could mindlessly coax you into doing something that would compromise your core values. Our core values are those we things we choose to define who we are. My personal core value words are empowered, optimistic, resilient, loyal. I try to keep this at the forefront of my thinking so that every decision and choice I make falls in line with this. In addition, I have social core values. Values I strive for when dealing with people. These are authentic, loving, compassionate and committed.
Having clearly defined values not only helps to avoid situational influences that may not be the most productive but help you to lead an engaged and fulfilling life. A life with congruence.
I operate off of the notion that most people do the best they can with what they know. Unfortunately most people think they know more than what they actually do. This doesn't excuse ill behavior but helps to explain it in my mind which creates a place where I can work to be more understanding and less judgemental of certain types of behaviors. Situational over disposition. We have the ability to consciously choose the situations we find ourselves in so we can make the choice of being the person we want to be.
#elliotyi
#paradigmleft
#habits
#mindset
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