Imagine…

You are working amongst people who are hostile to you and your values.

You are tired, run down, stressed.

Your workspace in noisy, ugly, disorganised

Are you going to be able to work at your best and most creatively in these conditions? How does it make you perceive challenges, as something to be feared, or opportunities?

We often underestimate how important our environment is to our state of mind, how much it impacts on our confidence and ability to perform and communicate well. We are not isolated entities, we cannot separate our feelings from the behaviour and states of mind of other people or our surroundings. It is hard wired into our brains.

Now imagine being in conditions where people have a positive attitude towards you and your growth in attractive surroundings. How much more confident do you feel, and how much better can you learn in this kind of environment? At the PSA we know that people flourish in a supportive, encouraging, non-judgemental, setting. And as you gain your self-confidence and the presentation skills you need, you also develop the resilience to withstand the effects of less conducive settings and overcome them.

Being aware of how you are influenced by your surroundings gives you the ability to choose how you respond to them. There is an ancient Indian saying, ‘it is better to wear shoes than to try to cover the whole world with leather’. You can either put yourself in a more helpful conditions, try to change the environment itself or change the way you view your situation. Your choice depends on the situation you are in, how it is impacting on your personal journey and what is realistic.

As an acorn needs the right amount of water, nutrients, sunlight and firm roots in the ground to flourish into a mighty oak tree, so we need the right nourishment to grow into the best we can be.

If we want to achieve our potential we have to put in a lot of hard graft to get there. It isn’t selfish to give yourself the best possible conditions for reaching your goals. You have to work hard enough, why make things any tougher?

Tags: confidence, Environment, Self Development