What is an example of circle of influence?

The weather complaint: Stewing over things you can't change drains energy; preparing for them is the part you control.

Where do you see circle of influence in everyday life?

The weather complaint; Reacting to the news; The difficult coworker; Covey's proactive person; The exam you can't retake.

List what's bothering you in two columns — what you can affect and what you can't — and pour your energy only into the first.

Curated by Paulo de Vries · reviewed 2026-05-30

Spend your energy on what you can actually affect, not on what you can only worry about. Acting inside your influence tends to expand it.

The weather complaint
Stewing over things you can't change drains energy; preparing for them is the part you control.
Reacting to the news
You can't fix the whole economy, but you can adjust your own savings and skills.
The difficult coworker
You can't change their personality, but you can change how you respond and what you tolerate.
Covey's proactive person
Focusing on what they can do shrinks the worry zone and grows their real influence over time.
The exam you can't retake
Fretting over the past grade helps nothing; preparing for the next thing you can affect does.

List what's bothering you in two columns — what you can affect and what you can't — and pour your energy only into the first.
When you catch yourself complaining about something outside your control, redirect to the nearest thing you can actually change.
Shrinking worry about the uncontrollable tends to expand your influence; act where you can and your circle grows.

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