Look around you

I have just spent three minutes clearing my desk and boy it makes a difference. All of a sudden I can see and I can write! Haha!

I remember when I worked at John Lewis moving to an office on the 11th floor and having an amazing desk by the window where I could see the sky and the horizon. I felt so much happier and my work improved. When I felt stressed or confused I could look out the window and feel the different perspective.

Our environment affects us more deeply than we realise. It affects our behaviour, our actions, it affects who we are and who we will become. I remember hearing some advice about choosing a job - take a look around at the people who you will be working with and ask yourself whether you want to become like them.

Look at the five people who you spend most of your time with now and ask yourself do I want to be like them? Do they bring out the best in me?

“Stop inviting people who don't celebrate you to your party! It's YOUR life - you have the right to be exclusive.”

― Mandy Hale

We tend to take who we are personally, when we don’t do well we blame ourselves, when we do well we congratulate ourselves. And there’s nothing “wrong” with this, it just keeps us on the yo-yo of measurement and judgement, with the highs and the lows of this.

What if instead when you are not doing so well you could take a look at your environment and consider how this is affecting you. What needs to be changed?

And what if when you are doing well you could take a look at your environment and consider what supported you. Appreciation feels so much lovelier than pride.

And perhaps you may also want to consider, how can I look after my environment? After all, it is what will keep us all happy, healthy and successful.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”

—Jane Goodall