Motivation & Habits Are For Suckers

Have you ever felt like you were drifting from the vision you have for your life?

Like some unseen force is shaping your behavior, your hopes, and your dreams?

Well, that force is very real, and it’s called environment.

The Power of Environment

Think of it as a powerful tide. It pulls us out to sea, away from where we want to be, often without us even realizing it.

Most people feel this drift but don’t understand what’s causing it.

But here’s the thing: if we learn to harness this force, we can use it to propel ourselves forward, like wind in our sails.

Environment is what has allowed humans to rise above their natural limits and achieve greatness.

Motivation, Hard Work, & Habits Are For Suckers: The Real Driver of Success

We often think achieving our goals requires motivation, hard work, and good habits.

But these are surface-level solutions.

You might have heard the phrase, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

But the influence of your environment goes way beyond just five people.

A groundbreaking 32-year study revealed that if a friend of a friend (someone you don’t even know) becomes obese, your likelihood of gaining weight increases by about 20%.

Yes, even without knowing them, they’re influencing your life!

(And if you don’t believe it you can read the study in The New England Journal Of Medicine)

Changing Norms, Changing Lives

These findings aren’t just about weight.

They extend to all areas of life—smoking, happiness, even financial success.

The social norms around you change what you perceive as acceptable and, consequently, how you behave.

James Clear, an entrepreneur and behavior science expert, calls this environment the “invisible hand” that shapes human behavior.

The people you surround yourself with have the greatest influence on your success.

The Power of Community

Throughout history, the highest achievers have understood this.

They’ve surrounded themselves with other high performers.

Benjamin Franklin started the first modern-day mastermind in the US.

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and even Rosa Parks participated in groups that shaped their extraordinary contributions to the world.

Why does this work?

Because when you’re surrounded by people who are on a mission to succeed, that energy is contagious.

Your social network directly impacts your behavior and outcomes.

Taking Control of Your Environment

The evidence is clear.

So, it’s not a question of whether this is true.

It’s about how you can take control of your environment to reach your highest potential.

Audit your surroundings.

Are the people around you aligned with your goals?

Are they pushing you to be better, or holding you back?

And remember, in today’s world, your environment isn’t limited by geography.

With tools like Zoom, online courses, online communities, and social media, you can connect with the best minds on the planet from anywhere.

Who do you follow online? What media do you consume? What’s entering your inbox?

I only follow people who are doing the things I want to be doing in the future or who inspire me to reach my goals.

Remove any content or media from distracting you from your goals.

Then join groups, buy courses, join a mastermind.

Online is great, in person is even better!

Isn’t that nice? All you have to do is fix your environment and the rest will follow.

I will leave you with a few examples I find powerful from history:

1. Rosa Parks surrounded herself with civil rights leaders in groups like the NAACP, which provided the support and collective strength needed for her to take a stand that ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott and furthered the civil rights movement.
   

2. Ada Lovelace engaged with scientific communities and formed a friendship with Charles Babbage, who inspired her to write the first algorithm intended for a machine, laying the foundation for computer programming.
   

3. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were part of the "Inklings," a literary discussion group at Oxford, where they critiqued each other's work and drew inspiration, leading to the creation of "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings."
   

4. Elon Musk was part of the "PayPal Mafia," a group of former PayPal employees and founders who went on to create some of the most innovative companies in the world, such as Tesla, SpaceX, LinkedIn, and YouTube, propelled by their shared vision and entrepreneurial environment.
   

5. Andrew Carnegie is well known for attributing his success to surrounding himself with a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals, which helped him gain insights and strategies that led to building his steel empire and becoming one of the wealthiest men in history.

Again, do you have to go to Oxford? No.

Luckily it’s easier than ever to build community.

You can subscribe to a newsletter like this.

You can follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok ;)

You can make sure that the content you consume is in line with who you want to become.

And you can find courses & communities online.

Plus plenty of events and communities in person as well.

The point is, become aware of this, and sculpt your environment to suit you.

Let’s get to work

-Dan