The Power of Environment in Shaping Success

The 3 environments you need to care about in your work-life.

I don't think we give enough credit to the environment that we work in. 

The other night, my oldest daughter was really struggling to get to sleep. She kept coming out of her room to say, “I can't sleep. I don't know why.” 

So we tried the usual stuff. 

Let's listen to a meditation. Let's listen this podcast. Here's some lavender spray for your pillow. Maybe it'll help you relax. 

But finally, after midnight, it still wasn’t working. So, I decided to change the approach. 

I took her downstairs, pointed to the sectional couch and told her, “Lay down right there. I'll lay over here, and let's go to sleep.”

She immediately fell asleep. 

And, as I now struggled to fall asleep, I thought, this is evidence that the environment you're in can really lead to a desired result. 

So, after some more thinking, and an exhausting morning, I wanted to share some ideas around environment and why we need to pay closer attention to it. 

We often underestimate how our environment influences our ability to succeed.

But from physical spaces to mental states, three key types of environments impact our focus, productivity, and growth.

The Micro-Environment: Your Immediate Physical Space

The space we physically occupy has a profound effect on our ability to focus and perform.

Take my daughter for example. Shifting the physical environment was all it took to interrupt the pattern her brain had started. 

She’d spent hours laying awake, repeating the words, “I can’t sleep.” 

But as soon as we had a different environment, it became, “Well, maybe I can sleep here.”

Your micro-environment is incredibly important, as businesses that leaned into open office spaces learned. 

People need control over their space because everyone works better under different conditions. It’s a prime reason why working from home can be beneficial. 

If everyone can create the ideal environment for themselves, productivity goes through the roof. But even at home, there are some variables that are hard to control, so it’s not the perfect solution. 

By prioritizing our immediate environment, we can set ourselves up for success. From the lighting to music to clutter on your desk. Maybe you need lots of plants. Maybe you’re someone who wants movement around you, so slapping on some headphones and hitting a coffee shop is best. 

It all depends on your individual needs, but you need to be aware of what works best for you. 

2. The Macro-Environment: The Community Around You

The broader environment, or macro-environment, includes the community and resources that are accessible to us.

If you want to be incredibly successful, a tip often recommended is to go where the conversations are happening. This is why so many people gravitate towards specific hubs for job opportunities. Silicon Valley, Boston, Austin. 

When you’re in an area that’s frequented by others who could help you advance, opportunities start to arise purely because you’re in the right place. You’re creating luck. 

Sitting in my home office in Maine doesn’t offer me the same opportunities as a co-working space in Boston might. Instead, I’ve sought out groups and relationships in the entrepreneurial community of Maine and have found hundreds of others I can connect with for opportunities. 

Few macro-environments are void of opportunities, but sometimes you need to hunt them down.

Other times, they only carry opportunities that aren’t in line with your current goals, and moving out of the situation is the best thing for you. 

A supportive macro environment accelerates growth by providing valuable connections and resources.

3. The Mental Environment: Your Cognitive Space

The environment that’s often most under-appreciated is the one that lives in your head. 

Our mental environment—shaped by the content we consume and the conversations we engage in—frames our mindset.

If our online or offline interactions are predominantly negative, they instill self-doubt or reinforce limitations. They eat away at our drive for success. 

Conversely, engaging with positive, growth-oriented communities and content can shift our outlook and inspire new approaches to challenges. 

There are two things I recommend doing to improve your mental environment. 

1. Be aware of what you consume. 

I’ve deleted all social media, minus LinkedIn (need it for work), off my phone. 

I realized the content I was consuming, while sometimes good for a dopamine hit, wasn’t actually helping my mental state. It was making me complacent and wasting a lot of time. 

And while social media is an easy example, we have to look at the educational content we’re consuming as well. The books we read, the courses we study, the newsletters we join. All of them are tailoring the way you think about things, so be cognizant of what that means for you. 

2. Continuously improve your zone of tolerance. 

A great lesson I got from therapy was around my zone of tolerance. 

When things push you outside that zone, you act irrationally. When you can expand the zone, you’re better in control of your emotions. 

A great secondary effect of improving my zone of tolerance was I realized how much more aware I became of negative and positive thoughts. 

This has been incredibly helpful, especially when making important decisions. It’s easier to realize when I’m making a decision because I’m frustrated or if I’m super excited. I can temper those feelings and use more logic to decide what the best choice is. 

Cultivating a constructive mental environment is essential for sustaining focus and drive.

Create an Environment That Drives Your Success

Success isn’t just about strategy; it’s about shaping the spaces—physical, social, and mental—that support your goals. 

Start by optimizing your immediate workspace to create focus, seek out a community that fuels growth, and be intentional about the content you consume. Small changes in your environment can have a powerful impact on your motivation and resilience, making it easier to stay on course. 

Take a look around and see what adjustments you can make today to foster an environment that empowers you to reach your full potential.