Success demands resilience and the ability to weather storms. To build strength, you must focus on the parts of your life you can control. It is about surrounding yourself with the right people, optimizing your environment, and taking responsibility.

Surround Yourself With the Right People

Consider the people with whom you spend the most time. Are these people those who inspire you and challenge you to be the best you can be? Perhaps they are discouraging and seem to hold you back. People that hold you back can be anyone, from coworkers to family members, and you must identify the negative influence so you can limit it or remove it from your life.

When you distance yourself from people pursuing a different path than yourself, you can attract those on the same track or who have arrived. Get with people with whom your values and goals align, not just those who tell you what you want to hear. Constructive criticism is vital for growth, so seek those people who are honest with you.

Optimize Your Environment

Please do everything you can to make it easy to accomplish your goals. Design your environment, be it your living room or office, to support your happiness and productivity instead of working against it. An optimized environment is better than relying on willpower alone which depletes throughout the day.

Perhaps you want to make it to the gym in the early morning hours but can’t seem to get yourself going. Put out your workout clothes the night before. This action makes it easier for you to take action and eliminate potential excuses. Are you seeking effective time management but finding yourself distracted throughout the day? Create ways to prevent the distractions, such as keeping your phone across the room and only checking it at designated times. To optimize your environment, make accessibility to unhealthy and unproductive options difficult or impossible. Make it easy to access healthy and productive activities, which are a reliable way to help you consistently make high-quality decisions.

Take Responsibility

Do not allow yourself to fall into the common patterns of making excuses or playing the victim. Sadly, you can become so good at making excuses that you do not realize you are making excuses. It is easy to spot this in other people but difficult to detect when you are doing it. Establish the habit of being honest with yourself. It is easy to pull the wool over your eyes, coddle yourself, and pretend that you feel better. Please do not fool yourself. These actions will only limit you. Try to take responsibility for both the good and the bad. Taking responsibility will clear the path for your growth.

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