The environment that you are in or the environment that you create has a tremendous effect on your goals and the way you go after your dreams. Unfortunately, when people set goals they don’t take their environment into consideration.

Also, a big part of success is mindset. Mindset is the way you think about your goals, go after your success, and even go about your day. Environment plays a big part in your mindset. Environment can be categorized into two buckets. The first bucket is your physical environment. This can be the tools for success. Your computer, your workout clothes, the food in the house, even your phone are part of your physical environment. These are the tools that you need to achieve success. If you have more access to the tools used to achieve your goals, you are more likely to use them. For example, if you have a treadmill in your living room, you are more likely to use it than if it is located in your garage. If you have junk food as opposed to healthy food in your kitchen, you are more likely to eat junk food. If you have a slow or buggy computer, you are less likely to work.  In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, he explains that human beings want the least amount of resistance. When you set goals, make sure that your physical environment is conducive to your goals. If you want to go to the gym after work, make sure that you always have a gym bag in your car. If you want to eat healthy make sure that healthy food is easily accessible and junk food is not accessible. If you want to write more thank you cards, make sure you have a stack of them in your desk (don’t forget the stamp and the pens). Don’t rely on willpower because willpower is there one day and not the other.

 The second component of environment is the people that you surround yourself with.  We all take cues and advice from the people with whom we interact. This can be fashion, the way we spend money, the way we talk, the way we act, and even our professional environment. At some point or another, we all have all had a crazy dream and when we talk to people who we are closest to, they treat us like we are crazy. Not everybody is going to buy in or understand your dreams or your goals. Part of your environment is building a network of people who can encourage and support you on your path to amazing success. If I had to start my business over again, this would be one of my main focuses. Beyond encouragement and support, you need an environment that can elevate your ideas and even give you new ideas.

 Environment is often ignored when people set goals. People put too much weight into willpower and working hard. When they fall short, they blame factors. However, success does not need to be that challenging. 

Summary:

A large part of achieving your goals is the environment you put yourself in. This weighs heavily on how successful you are in achieving what you need to.