Your Environment Matters
Midday became sunset orange as dark clouds flooded the sky. Thunderous crackling filled our ears. Fire in the distance. We watched embers dance in the wind and fall gently in a recently harvested maize field nearby, no one thought much about them. In the space between breaths, a white pillowy smoke formed, followed by a small flame. We paced like horses to a brook but the unrelenting wind had turned the small fire into a blaze that swallowed everything in its path. It was instant, no one could stop it. The conditions were perfect.
On an ordinary day, that wouldn’t happen. But the conditions of the day ensured it did. I used to think one’s environment played very little importance in the chances of their success. Work hard enough and you can make it anywhere, right? Try Africa. No one talks about how much harder you will need to work in other environments. The harsh truth is, that the environment plays a crucial part. If that ember had landed anywhere else that fire would not have broken out, if there was no wind it would have not gotten that big.
So the question is, are you in an environment that increases your chances of getting the desired result? You can’t sell ships in a land-locked country. Sounds stupid but we forget to put our ideas and desires through this simple question. We forget to ask if we are in the right place or what works best for where we are.
Unlike the ember floating, sometimes we are complicit in creating an environment that harms our chances of progress, slowly suffocating our own flame. The minute decisions we make keep us in a cyclic environment and leave us blaming everyone else except us for not making progress.
Like that ember, we can all set ablaze. However, we have to create or find the right environment to increase the chances. We have to look for or create an environment conducive to our success. Working smarter and not harder.
Thank you for reading.
