Your Environment Matters
I’ve written many times before about how important it is to consider your environment and the impact it has on you. In our “What Creates Your Reality” blog earlier this year we listed Environment as one of several factors contributing to your reality. Today let’s dive a little deeper into what it truly looks like to consider your environment.
It’s one thing to look at some frequented phrases like “you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with” or hear the word environment and look around at the city you live in or where you grew up. Today let’s dive deeper into the people you spend time with, the content you consume, the places you frequent, where you call home and how your work environment plays a role.
People you spend time with
Many people over the years talk about the thought that you are the sum of or the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. This is a powerful tool to consider and it may leave you unclear of what to do about the observation once made, or why it’s so important. Well to start off I invite you to pause and consider who is in your environment most often. Are you having most of your conversations with a couple close friends, mabe most of your time is spent listening to colleagues who are complaining to go home to a spouse and kids doing the same. Maybe you live a really quiet life so you’re taking anyone who offers up on the opportunity to spend time together. No need to judge what you discover when you allow yourself to look, and take a moment to be honest about what you find.
Once you allow yourself the opportunity to look at who you’re spending the most time with, ask yourself are these people pulling you forward to living your best life, or are they supporting you being stuck and justifying that everyone has shit the deal with it - that’s life?
One step further, how do you feel before and after the time spent with your main people? When you leave the office is your bucket full from empowering conversations? After a dinner out with a friend or partner is your heart overflowing and grounded? Or do you find that often you leave your appointments, dates, meetings feeling exhausted, depleted and hopeless?
Other people absolutely impact you. From their energy, to their health, to their worldview, beliefs and values. Take a moment to take inventory and ask yourself if who you give your time to is what’s best or if it’s time to be more intentional with your time and who accesses our energy.
Content you consume
In this day and age, whether you realize it or not, we are almost always consuming content. Whether that’s social media posts from friends, family and influencers, or lyrics from the music playing while you’re going about your day, netflix binging, books you read, podcasts or audio books, the list goes on and consciously or not, our brain is constantly consuming and it affects you BIG TIME.
Everything is energetic and impacts you. Even if you can watch a graphic movie and afterwards you can separate it from reality in your mental body, your energetic and spiritual body has just spent 90-120 minutes normalizing violence, death, threat, fear.
You’re driving to work and listening to a podcast a friend recommended, is it in fact empowering you or do you now feel like you are inadequate in life, know less than you first thought, and feel like you’re behind on the journey of life?
Music is playing in the mall and you’re shopping with friends for hours, what are the lyrics saying, catchy or not,
what messages are being programed in to your subconscious?
This is something quite eye opening for many and while you could never pick up a phone or enter a public space again, let’s get real. What you can do is become aware, and check in. In a moment if you’re noticing something has you feeling off, ask yourself what might be at play? When you’re setting up your day, slow down ever so slightly to check in moment to moment. Is the music you always listen to still something that aligns and lights up your soul? Do you love horror movies or would you rather a story about love and friendship that has a beautiful fairytale ending? When you scroll social media are you filled with love or crippeled in comparison?
Change up the playlists, question a movie or binge choice, unfollow or mute social media accounts. You truly are the author of your life and this is one area many don’t consider and has an almost 24/7 affect.
Places you frequent
This one is a favorite for me to talk about. Where do you go most often? This one really hit me hard in the last few years when I noticed that after shopping at certain stores or driving through certain parts of town my mindset shifted and my energy dropped. WHen we are in the game of shifting the status quo, being a big thinker, our energy is critical to maintain an expansive state allowing for abundance and attraction.
What do you value, and are you spending time in places that align with what matters to you most? Are the places you go an energetic match for who you say you are?
Something I know about myself is I love being surrounded by beauty and I love connection. There came a point where I had to draw a line in the sand on where I would go to grocery shop. Once upon a time as a single mom with a scarcity mindset around money I would drive to the biggest box store to stock up on the best deals in town. The impact was huge. I would leave exhausted, the food wouldn't taste right, and I'd notice a huge dip in my belief that anything is possible. I would feel fear creeping in big time and my thoughts would shift. The inherent savings I was having by getting food on sale in fact was costing me more than I could ever imagine. WHen I shifted and started frequenting my local organic market everything shifted, I was known by name by the staff and felt deep connection and love from the moment I went through the front doors, the shopping experience was peaceful and even the energy of the food felt different. Cooking became self care and something that brought me peace. It cost me a little bit more per item, sure, but in fact my overall food costs went down, my health improved and my income multiplied tenfold.
Notice through the week as you run errands, drive to work, enjoy a weekend getaway, is where you’re going elevating your energy or leaving you depleted? How could you shift things ever so slightly so that the places you frequent contribute to your every success?
Location you call home
Home environment is one of the most important environments to review. It is in fact one of the primary foods we consider in our wellness wheel or the circle of life. When we consider integrative health it is that important, equal to finances, spirituality, relationships and career.
So I ask you to check in - how do you feel when you open the door to your home? Does it instantly bring you peace? Do you tighten up thinking of all there is to clean or maintain?
If you want to start somewhere in the environmental overhaul this is a great spot to kick things off. Look at your home environment and consider the following:
Is the style of your home aligned with your best life?
Is there clutter that needs to be purged?
What has been left undone that you can plan to finish up?
Does the decor and color scheme excite you?
Is your furniture comfortable and allow you to do all you desire while home?
Do you love your neighbors? Neighborhood?
Does your home match your values?
As you work through this list, feel free to reflect and journal on anything when it comes to your home. What is your ideal living arrangement and are you living it? What can you do to be in alignment with your dream home?
You may not be able to move today, or purchase the mansion up the street, however you absolutely can open that door to your home and experience peace and fulfillment and you deserve it!
Office location and dynamics
Ahhh good old career talk. Most of us work for a living and many of us never consider if the environment is supporting us. When it comes to career most of us think we have no choice because without our job we couldn't’ pay our bills. Now while I’ll never say quit your job today it’s not a healthy environment, that would possibly be irresponsible, I would say that you will always attract more income when you live from alignment.
So, pause and allow yourself to ask the question - does my office and work environment align with my best self?
Does it pull me forward or keep me stuck?
Once you allow yourself the honest review, it is absolutely possible to create a plan to shift things. If it’s colleagues who stand by your desk gossiping while you wish to be getting your reports finished up, ask them to visit elsewhere. If you notice that last minute meetings interrupt the plans for your day and leave you overwhelmed and lacking productivity, book a meeting with your boss to discuss a strategy that allows him to ensure meetings happen to convey information and you’re able to be as productive and planned as possible.
If on the larger scale you see the company’s values are opposing yours, you fel undervalued and overworked, there’s abusive language and behavior, it’s time to allow yourself an exit strategy. Get clear on what matters to you, what you value, and start researching opportunities.
Maybe you have savings and feel comfortable giving notice and allowing yourself time to adjust and search for the next chapter.
There’s no one way and there is one thing for sure - you deserve to move through life with flow and aliveness and fun and alignment and bliss and YOU are the source of it all!
You are a powerful human here for big things - time to ensure your environment is supporting your expansion and best life now.
