You are who you surround yourself with—a saying that many people have heard before.
This saying holds true and always will. If you look at any group of friends, you will find that they all have similar interests and things in common.
If a person in a group loses interest in the shared commonalities, they will be out of the group.
For example,
If you have a group of “friends” that drink alcohol together on the weekends and you quit drinking, good luck hearing from them again.
Since you do not partake in the shared interest of drinking alcohol, you no longer have that connection with the individuals involved in that group.
The topic concerning the saying is your environment and can be studied much deeper.
Your environment plays a crucial role in your life, as shown above. It can either move your life forward or backward.
Due to its complex nature, you must study and learn how your environment affects your life and well-being.
We have mentioned that your environment plays a crucial role in your life, but first, you must know how it does.
The Role Environment Plays in Your Life
At its core, your environment affects how you think, feel, and act.
The nature of your environment first affects your mindset and how you think. Your thoughts and how you process them then translate into how you feel and ultimately result in your actions.
If you do not spend time focusing on your environment, you are not spending time focusing on yourself. The reason is your environment shapes you as a person and says a lot about who you are and what you believe in.
If you keep your living space clean, which is part of your physical environment, one can assume that you are neat.
This trait is then assumed to be present within multiple other areas of your life.
You will find more happiness and fulfillment by building and surrounding yourself in a positive environment. When somebody is in a positive environment, you can tell.
The same is true for somebody in a negative environment. When somebody surrounds themself with negativity, such as at a job they do not like, you can tell by their behavior.
The word environment may sound all-encompassing, but many micro-factors go into an environment.
We will touch more on this below, but a few micro-factors of your environment can be:
- The location of your home.
- The food you purchase and keep in your home.
- Amount of time you spend on social media.
- The music you listen to daily.
While these are just a few examples, they give you a glimpse of just how many micro-factors go into making up an environment.
You might ask why these small micro-factors have importance to my overall environment.
For example,
Think of a building and the process required to construct it.
Buildings do not magically appear. They are well-thought-out and constructed so that all the small details result in the building itself.
Constructing a safe, usable building requires beams and foundational aspects to be correct. If one detail is wrong, the whole thing could collapse.
This example shows that these small micro-factors add to create an all-encompassing environment.
If you cannot take control of the small details in your environment, how will you ever be able to control it as a whole?
Key Takeaways
At its core, your environment affects how you think, feel, and act.
The nature of your environment first affects your mindset and how you think. Your thoughts and how you process them then translate into how you feel and ultimately result in your actions.
The word environment may sound all-encompassing, but there are many micro-factors that go into an environment.
Types of Environments
You may think that your environment only applies physically, such as your house or office, but it goes much deeper than that.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an environment is “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.”
In addition to reviewing the physical environment, let’s consider your social and digital environment as well.
Physical Environment
The physical environment applies to tangible surroundings such as:
Housing,
Office,
Food,
Or car.
While there are different types of environments, your physical environment plays a critical role in your life.
Your physical environment is where you will spend most of your time.
When you wake up, you will be in your own living space. When you are in your own living space, the space and its presentation surround you.
If surrounded by a messy and cluttered space, this will be detrimental to your well-being as that messiness and clutter will start playing a role in your thought processes.
The thoughts you have paired with all of the disorganization will ultimately lead to a decline in your mental health.
Or maybe you are living in a location you dislike and have wanted to leave for quite some time.
How can you think when the space you call your own is not clean or geographically where you want it to be?
On top of this, throw food into the mix of your physical environment.
You will find that many people who do not keep their living space clean and organized do not eat the healthiest foods.
If you look at somebody who takes pride in keeping their living space clean and neat, they more often than not eat healthier foods.
While not always the case, you can prove this by simple observation.
Now say somebody has a messy living space and unhealthy foods surrounding them. They then have to go to a job that probably requires the same amount of minimal effort they put into their physical environment outside the job.
A job that requires minimal effort is a job that anybody can do, which ultimately will not lead to a fulfilling life.
On top of this, when eating unhealthy foods, your minimal effort has diminished compared to that of somebody who eats healthy foods.
By this point, you may be asking yourself how you will get ahead in life.
With all this said, be proactive and make sure your physical environment aligns with how you want to think, feel, and act.
If you want to think negatively and not have control over your thoughts and life, then, by all means, allow your physical environment to take shape as it pleases.
If you want to think positively and lead a more fulfilling life, take control of your physical environment and make it conform to how you want it to look.
Social Environment
The social environment is where the saying you are who you surround yourself with resides.
This environment applies to relationships of all kinds. Also, with anybody that you come into contact with.
When considering your social environment, you must look at all the people currently involved in your life. It includes but is not limited to:
Acquaintances,
Friends,
Family members,
and Romantic partners.
As you think of all the people currently involved in your life, you need to ask yourself if they are providing value to your life or taking away from it. And be honest with yourself.
That friend that asks you to hang out and drink alcohol or do drugs every weekend, do they mean well? While they may bring along a good time, are they helping you move forward?
When you continuously surround yourself with others who do not have the same vision as you do, this will taint any goals you have and pull you away from reality.
Some people are in your life as a distraction from what is to be. While it may not seem like it at first, over time, you will find yourself in the same position, doing the same things you were a year ago.
It can be hard to accept the fact that not everybody means well. While the other person may come off as genuine and there to support you, they secretly do not want to see you doing any better than they are, which shows in their actions.
Again, this is not always the case with everybody, but it is becoming more and more common.
Audit your social environment and consider what people in your life have to gain by being your friend.
If somebody has nothing to gain and they still associate with you, then you have found yourself a true friend. A genuine person will be there for you no matter what, good or bad.
You quit giving to others, and they do not associate with you? Congratulations! You have eliminated a person(s) not meant to be in your life.
Focus on cultivating a social environment full of like-minded people and watch yourself grow. While your social environment may dwindle to only a few people, not everybody deserves a spot at your table.
Digital Environment
The digital environment pertains to your life outside of your physical environment. It is far overlooked and rightfully so.
With the rise of technology over the past couple of decades, we are to be fascinated and consumed by it rather than question it.
Think of:
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter,
Video games,
Movies,
Or any other platform that produces digital content.
While people devote hours of their time and life to these platforms and the content within them, they fail to realize the harm associated with these habits.
Most of the content is put in place to take you further from reality and what is to be. It stops you from living the life you deserve and instead longing for a superficial one.
Think of the last time you went on any social media platform and saw somebody living the life that you want to live. Whether it be a happy couple you saw, a person living in a big house, or driving a fancy car.
Most people’s first instinct is to get jealous and possibly envious. They may think that person does not belong with another or that they just got lucky.
Social media fails to recognize the work and sacrifice somebody has made to achieve what they are flashing on these platforms.
The content these people are sharing is just highlights of the bigger picture.
Or maybe consider a different perspective, which is in our dopamine detox article.
When you constantly consume yourself in a digital space rather than physical reality, you automatically subject yourself to instant gratification.
Instead of leveling up in life, some people are leveling up in the most recent Call of Duty.
Instead of developing their physical image, some people focus on their social image to achieve more likes.
Both ultimately lead to a life of unfulfillment and constant struggle to accept the life one is currently living.
When engaging in various digital platforms, do so purposefully rather than mindlessly. It can look like watching informational videos or filling social media feeds with positivity and education.
Many of these platforms can be a tool to learn and advance in life, yet people abuse them in ways that only keep them trapped.
There is a time and place to:
Watch that movie you have been dying to see,
Play that video game,
Or check up on others, but that time is not every day.
Take control of your digital environment before it takes control of you.
Key Takeaways
An environment is “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.”
While there are different types of environments, your physical environment plays the most critical role in your life.
When you continuously surround yourself with others that do not have the same vision as you do, this will taint any goals you have and pull you away from reality.
10 Ways to Improve Your Environment
Now that we have gone over the role environment plays in your life and the types of them, we must consider how to improve our environment.
While improving your environment can take time, there are things you can do today to start the process.
Below we will share ten ways to improve your environment that you can implement now.
#1. Audit Your Social Circle
Take a look at the people currently involved in your life. What do you see?
Do you see people who are lifting you? Or do you see people who are bringing you down with them?
Whether the former or the latter, you must ensure that each person you allow in your life brings value.
As mentioned before, some people are in your life as a distraction. Find out who these people are and get rid of them.
After this, do not allow anybody who does not bring value to your life.
#2. Clean Your Living Space
Since we spend most of our time in our personal living spaces, you must ensure they are in order.
One cannot have clear thoughts without a clean physical environment.
Whether it be:
That pile of laundry in the corner,
Dishes in the sink,
Or general clutter, clean your living space and keep it that way.
By clearing physical clutter, you will help with any mental clutter.
#3. Choose Wisely
Whatever it is that you choose in life, choose wisely.
Let it be that one who does not choose for themselves allows others to choose for them.
Think of:
Your job,
Friends,
and Location.
Did you choose these things, or did you allow somebody else to decide for you?
There are always decisions, and somebody must choose. Let that somebody be you.
#4. Fill Social Media with Positivity
If you like going on social media, fill it with positivity.
People allow their social media feeds to be filled with content that brings no value to their lives. The content on their feeds clouds their judgment and way of living.
Rather than taking this route, think of social media as a tool and use it as such.
The algorithms are constantly studying you and the content you engage with. Engage with purpose.
Fill your social media feeds with content and accounts reflecting where you are trying to be.
#5. Move Locations
If you struggle to find fulfillment in your current physical location, it may be time to move locations.
Moving locations allows you a fresh perspective on life and the opportunity that comes with it.
While this is easier said than done, put effort into making the move, and you can make it happen.
Do your research on different locations and inventory what you would need to make the move possible. You will be surprised at just how easy it may be.
#6. Stay Organized
When you constantly search for belongings or files, you become mentally drained, as it is exhausting and time-consuming.
Also, when others can tell you are unorganized, it is unattractive and unprofessional.
Being organized allows you to be free of physical and mental clutter.
Put systems in place that allow you to stay organized and adhere to these systems. Over time you will benefit from increased productivity, motivation, and mental clarity.
#7. Focus on the Bigger Picture
Too many people focus on the present moment and not the bigger picture.
When you are too focused on the present moment, it can lead to impulsive and reckless behavior.
For example,
You only focus on the present moment and have daily cravings for junk food.
By only focusing on the present moment, you will succumb to these cravings daily.
If you focus on the bigger picture, you will think about the decisions that you are making and how they will affect you:
Tomorrow,
A week from now,
A month from now,
and So on.
In turn, this will lead to increased mental clarity and better decision-making.
Next time you must decide on something, think how it will affect you in the present and the long run. Will this decision benefit my future self or take away from my future self?
#8. Be Yourself
Are you being yourself or allowing others to dictate who you are?
Often you will find others that exhibit certain behaviors to conform and validate how somebody else views them.
Ultimately, this will lead to a low sense of self and sometimes results in an identity crisis.
Allow others to accept you for who you are, as this will ensure the people surrounding you are genuine.
Whatever you do, ensure it resonates with you and who you are personally.
#9. Focus on Yourself
When you focus on yourself, you take the first step in bettering yourself.
This tip ties in with being yourself, as we sometimes lose ourselves when we act to please others.
Instead of turning outwards, pause for a moment to turn inwards and see what it is that you need to focus on.
When you focus on and improve yourself, this allows you to serve others better.
You will find more happiness and fulfillment through serving others when you focus on yourself first.
#10. Find New Activities
If what you are currently doing in life has become stale and stagnant, find new activities.
By picking up new activities, it keeps life fresh and invigorating. When you go through the same motions year after year, you will find yourself lacking fulfillment.
A few examples can be:
Various forms of physical exercise,
Drawing,
Painting,
Or playing piano.
When you give yourself a new activity to focus on and put time and effort into, you will achieve a new sense of purpose.
Key Takeaways
Whatever it is that you choose in life, choose wisely.
Put systems in place that allow you to stay organized and adhere to these systems. Over time you will benefit from increased productivity, motivation, and mental clarity.
Next time you must decide on something, think how it will affect you in the present and the long run. Will this decision benefit my future self or take away from my future self?
Conclusion
We have reviewed and learned how your environment affects your life and well-being.
By looking at the role environment plays in your life, types of environments, and ten ways to improve your environment, you can now better navigate your environment.
Although you may be content with how your environment looks, environments evolve, so we must be aware.
Next time you face a new opportunity, decision, acquaintance, or any other factor that affects your life, think about your overall environment and how that factor will affect it.
You will be surprised at how big of a role your environment plays in affecting your life and well-being.
–Your future self will thank you.
