Beneath the “Big” Picture
We are beset each day by the enormity of challenges we are facing; To name but a few: The pandemic. Climate change. The November election. The world economy. Family and health security when facing joblessness. Any one of them can feel overwhelming. Together, they can leave us feeling swamped by a global tsunami of worry, despair, fear, disconnection, and loss.
All are overwhelming in part because the sheer enormity of the problems feel well beyond the effectiveness capacity of any single person. And yet, I suspect, this paralyzing perspective is very likely a myth. The key lies in the scale of our perspective. Tackling everything that is wrong or off-balance is certainly beyond what any one person can do.
Circling in on Worry or Effectiveness
Which is bigger?
Your Circle of Concern or your Circle of Influence?
Years ago I learned about the “Circle of Concern” and the “Circle of Influence.” The circle of concern sits inside the circle of effectiveness. As we focus on our various concerns - what worries, frightens, saddens, or angers us - that focus gets larger and larger. The growing circle of concerns squeezes out the room left for the circle of influence, which is the only space where we can effect change. So, like a solar eclipse, where the moon blocks out all but the tiny, remaining corona of the sun, obscuring its glory and magnificence, in the same way, when we focus on our worries fears, anger, dread, or despair clouds out our ability to sense our own ability to act. To make a difference. To have influence. To build what we call a feeling of self-efficacy.
In focusing on where we have influence, no matter how small that circle of influence may be initially, the bigger that circle becomes. Over time, by focusing on where we have impact, the relative size of the circle of worry shrinks. The result? A growing sense of influence, calm, and control in the midst of the multiple potential stressors are that persist all around us. The practice allows us to live more effectively in the eye of a raging storm.
Doing What We Can May Be Enough
A cute story captures this helpful mindset. A blazing fire was spreading through the forest. The deer, racoons, rabbits, mice, and squirrels were racing to escape. They came to the edge of the forest, where they suddenly encountered a tiny hummingbird flying right into the fire. The animals all called out, “What are you doing!?” The hummingbird, undaunted, simply said, “What I can,” and continued on to deliver the water it could carry.
Small Actions Make Big Differences
Shrink the Scale of Focus; Increase the Sense of Calm Control
The “big picture” is overwhelming to so many right now, with pandemic-enforced separations from family and friends. The uncertainties about health. The feelings of grief and loss experienced by too many. Maybe, when we dip beneath the “big picture,” we, like the hummingbird, can capture something simple, something small, something personally meaningful that can help us, if only for an hour, or a day, embolden us with the feeling that “I am doing what I can.”