Choosing to Expand Your Circle
Now that you have a pretty good idea what is in your “Circle” you can consider expanding it. Let me give you an example.
One woman with whom I was speaking initially thought that her work was in her “Circle”, but taking a closer look she concluded that she works so that she and her husband have the money for the life they love. What really mattered to her was having a good marriage. Her parents had divorced when she was young and that experience was very painful for her.
I asked her if she actually did things that demonstrated having an enduring marriage was in her “Circle”. She told me that she schedules a date night every week. Clearly, the stability and longevity of her marriage is truly important to her.
But, could she have more? She was confused by the question. I pointed out that a stable marriage is certainly a good thing but what if she expanded her “Circle” such that she would build a relationship with her husband in which they were wildly in love with each other for the rest of their lives?
This expansion would require more than a weekly date night. It might include romantic dinners at home, love notes left around the house, daily times to sit and talk and a host of other ways to cultivate an ever-deepening intimacy.
She liked the idea and put it to work right away. Expanding her “Circle” to include being wildly in love did not diminish her desire to have a stable marriage. Instead it added to it.
Similarly, you can expand any “Circle” you choose. If your “Circle” around money is to just get by, you could expand it to include having an abundance. If your “Circle” around love is to hopefully have a friend, why not expand it to being wildly popular?
Making your life better starts with expanding your “Circle”.