Proactive Thinking: Circle of Influence vs. Circle of Concern

As I was thinking about this post, I checked my news sites. From Arts & Letters Daily, I stumbled onto an article by Richard Perle about what really went wrong with W's policies. On a day that is historic, this got me thinking about the entire message of change that evidently catapulted a senator to become President Barak Obama - and what is likely to happen if the status quo isn't challenged.

Being proactive requires looking at what you can actually do something about, not with things you can't influence (at least at present). So let's think: what can we control/influence? I look at my life, and I see a collection which includes the following items:

• chores
• scheduling
• my health (via exercise, nutrition, and yoga)
• my writing
• actions
• thoughts/feelings
• work duties
  

I might only have a small area that I can directly or indirectly influence, especially on the job, but by focusing there I can do a lot - and potentially earn greater trust and responsibilities. Issues that top the list of "immediate interest" include money (to pay the bills and build savings), having a job, meeting people, and building a writing career. Within each area, I look for specific steps to take to reach my goals or solve the problems at hand. The key is looking for steps that will make progress.

When we push a lever, we expect it to be connected to some particular machinery. Perle's article made me think of some important questions:

1. Who do we think is in charge of what?
2. What do we think they can do in their position?
3. Who do we think is in their way?
4. How accurate are our assumptions?
   

Regardless of your opinion of W, these are important concerns. If there are more obsticles to making anything happen than we realize, then a new method is called for - and not necessarily a new person in the position. The idea is to (try to) determine what is within a particular office's Circle of Influence and what is in the Circle of Concern - which is problematic without considerable research, but not impossible. Also, why overburden any one office? That makes everything take longer.

The challenge is to find small, local-level steps to solving any problem (no matter the scale), and do them yourself. Or organize a group effort - locally. Be willing to brainstorm ideas, get information out, and making even a slightly bigger effort than before. By the end of this year, imagine what might be possible by taking little steps every day...