Where do you hang out?

I run this Half Marathon training business called RaceTeam, it focuses on getting all different types of people of various running abilities to complete a Half Marathon. Since RaceTeam began we have helped lots of people achieve massive growth, not just in running. There was Martin, a 50+ year old man who had only ever run around 4km who had the biggest smile on his face as he crossed the finish line. Then there was Kim who worked so hard to beat her PB and came over the line punching the air!

When I look at the number of successes that we have helped people achieve I could boost my ego and put a lot of the praise on myself and the coaches in our team, but I know better than that. While we do everything possible to create a professional experience that motivates, educates and inspires our runners the main reason people are successful with RaceTeam is through the environment it creates.

Let me explain further. When we describe ourselves to others we often have a set of words that we feel represents how we see ourselves, it’s what we think we are. But we often don’t realise that our environment has  a huge influence on how we act within our own lives. Think about this: Are you the same person when you hang out with your friends at the pub than what you are when in a meeting where you are trying to impress? Sure the ‘core you’ might be the same but many of your actions will differ in both situations.

Once you understand that the environments you are in have a massive influence on the outcomes you achieve in your life you can start to look at the world in a different way. You can use this knowledge to consciously find environments that have the values, habits and support you need to achieve and at the same time remove yourself from the ones that don’t.

The reason Rosa, a non-runner who never thought she would complete a Half Marathon, has just completed her second race was primarily due to the fact she put herself in the RaceTeam environment where everyone was on the same path, were all supportive and there was a set of subconscious values that this environment stood for. Look at your environments, are they moving you towards or away from the direction you want to go in your life? This really does make a massive difference. 

Feel free to comment on which environments in your life have the biggest impact. Maybe you could have both the good and the bad. I'd be interested in what people come up with.