By Julie Fuimano, MBA, BSN, RN
What are Environments?
An environment is anything that supports you to be or to perform a certain way. Everything around you has some impact on you and how you do what you do. Without the right environment, you slow your progress toward the results you want. It's like working out without the right equipment; you can still work out in a suit and high heels, but you won't be as effective as you would in sweats and sneakers, and you might even hurt yourself.
Environments include people (friends, family, coworkers, boss, other professionals, etc.), physical structures, and work systems. For example, a cluttered physical environment contributes to your feeling busy and stressed. And it follows that if your physical environment is cluttered, other areas of your life are probably cluttered as well – finances, relationships, etc. To change, you need to focus on creating space – lots of space. Over time you'll discover that your energies shift from accumulating stuff and disorder to keeping things simple and organized.
Creating the Right Environment
Being clear about what you want to achieve will help you to identify what kinds of things to include in your environment. Hiring a coach, for example, is creating an environment that fosters success. Hiring a professional organizer to get your office organized, to assist you in creating systems for the flow of paperwork and 'stuff,' will teach you ways to keep your space organized. If you want to stop screaming at your kids, you might choose to pay them each one dollar every time you raise your voice at them.
Often, in order to create what you want for yourself in life, you need to eliminate people, things, and places that do not support you. It can mean simply a hiatus, where you break away for a period of time until you gain the inner fortitude to stand on your own. Sometimes, it means limiting the amount of time you spend with someone or limiting the topics of conversation. Other times, it means eliminating friends or changing jobs. You need to be aware of how others influence you. Is the relationship positive and uplifting? Or is it inhibiting, negative, and discouraging? Do you feel good when you are with them or do you feel bad?
The right environment can be anything that works for you. If it doesn't work, change it. And don't become attached to whatever environment you choose. The fact is that as you evolve and grow, the type of environment that nurtures your success will also evolve and grow.
Julie Fuimano, MBA, BSN, RN is the co-founder of Nurturing Your Success Inc., a dynamic organization leading the cultural transformation movement for a professional healthcare environment. We offer keynotes, workshops, and coaching for leaders and teams. Julie is also the author of The Journey Called YOU: A Roadmap to Self-Discovery and Acceptance, the manual for personal leadership. To learn more about how we can partner with you to nurture your success, call 610-277-2726, email Julie@nurturingyoursuccess.com or visit Nurturing Your Success, and sign up for our empowering newsletter.
