One of the strongest external factors that can influence addiction is the environment around us. This is also a factor that’s actually controllable. Once we see the positive effect the environment can have on our lives, we will want to keep elevating the game more and more.
As Dr. Sean Stephensen, the 3 foot giant, would say, “If you were locked up in a crack house for a year you would come out addicted because of the environment. On the other side, if you took an addict out of that environment and put him in and locked him in for a year with highly successful individuals they would come out successful.” It wasn’t a study, more of a theory, but what a wonderful way of looking at how powerful our environment can be.
There are 2 ways to look at how we interact with our environment.
Here are the 2 D’s of Environment:
- By Default – am i going by default and reacting?
- By Design – or am i actually looking and designing it
1. By Default
When we go by default, we are simply reacting to the environment around us.
2. By Design
When we put ourselves in an environment with people who are at a higher level than us, or further ahead than us, then we are designing our environment to learn, grow and do more.
This is the reason why we have sponsors in addiction programs. They’re someone who’s further ahead than us so we can ask and find out how they went through it.
Having multiple people around us who care about us, who we can check in with, bounce ideas off of, and get feedback from, can help us find a different perspective than the way we might approach something.
Here’s a Challenge for YOU:
Take a look at the environment around you. Is it something that builds you up, pushes you to become a better version of you?
Or are you going by default, just going through the motions of your day?
Encourage yourself and challenge your mindset so that you can get to the next level by creating a different environment around you.
