How Our Environment Shapes our Behavior

Have a new goal for this spring? Maybe it's to get in shape, get good grades, join a new sport, or even make a new friend?  Well, no matter what the goal is, one way to ensure your success is by taking a look around your environment. For example, let's tune in on trying to achieve good grades. Take a look in your backpack. Is it neat and organized? Maybe it’s a huge mess where all your papers are jammed into the back of your bag to never be found again. The difference in the neatness of your backpacks can make a huge negative or positive impact on achieving your goal. If it is a huge mess the chances of you missing an assignment or losing a paper needed for the day are much higher. However, if it is neat and organized you have an easier access to all the tools needed to help you become a better student. That is just one big way such a small environmental factor contributes to the success of your new goal. 

Now, that was a small example of your environment. Let's take a look at one that may not be so materialistic but more social. Observe your friend group, are you with people who care a lot about school and get good grades, or are you friends with people who don’t care about school or have this “too cool for school” attitude? If so, you might want to change this environmental factor. By surrounding yourself with people who strive for the best grades you end up peer pressured into doing the same. Nobody wants to be the person left behind so by being in a determined and academically strong group of friends, you will likely become like them too.  On the contrary, if you are surrounded by people who don’t care about school you will feel unmotivated and also start to think that it doesn't matter. Your social group and the people you surround yourself with directly reflect who you are. 

Small things that are all around us shape the people we become. No matter if it is something as small as a backpack, or the people we surround ourselves with, all of these environmental factors contribute to the individuals we become. Therefore, if you have any new goals set for yourself before you do anything take a look around your environment.  As James Clear wrote about in his book, Atomic Habits “Our environment has a silent but profound influence on our daily behaviors. While many assume that habits are built (and broken) on sheer willpower and motivation, the reality is that our surroundings dictate much of what we do—often without us realizing it.” No matter what you want to be or any habit you want to stop, always start with changing your environment in a way that will help shape better habits.”