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In an earlier post, we highlighted the importance of separating content from context to help us better understand where our power lies in any situation. Content is the stuff that happens in life and context is the meaning we give it.
We learned that events are inherently neutral and that separating what happens from the meaning we give it is at the core of well-being, empowerment, and success. For example:
Content (neutral event) = You didn’t get the promotion you were hoping for at work. Context (the meaning we give it) = “Ugh, those idiots. They only promote a** kissers. This is not fair!”
So if content is the neutral stuff that happens and context is the meaning we give it, then do we just sit around waiting for stuff to happen to give it meaning or react to it?
Of course not.
What is the relationship between content, context, ourselves, and the world? What is the interplay between them all and how do we use that understanding to confidently and powerfully navigate life?
Life’s Operating System: An Interconnected Web
These questions led me to realize that as humans, we live in a dynamic, complex, ever-changing, and interconnected web of elements. Many philosophers, scientists, and spiritual leaders have talked about this interconnectedness throughout history - concepts as old as Indra’s Net and as new as the Systems Theory or Social Network Theory.
In any case, this web seems to form the fabric of life; weaving together an intricate tapestry of both our internal and external existence - our thoughts, emotions, physiological processes, as well as our relationships, social structures, economic systems, political institutions, natural environments, and even extending to the cosmos - galaxies, planets, universes, time and space.
This holistic web of life is held together by a combination of things we know, like certain laws of physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as things we have yet to understand, like the intricacies of consciousness or the depths of our interconnectedness. It is full of known unknowns, as well as unknown unknowns.
A complete operating system. And we are a part of it.
We may never know why or how this complex system operates the way it does, but we can acknowledge that it is somehow all connected.
Research in fields like social psychology, network science and even ecology has provided evidence to support this idea of interconnectedness. A study in the British Medical Journal from 2008 shows that our behavior, emotions, and even health can be influenced by the people we are connected to, sometimes up to three degrees of separation away!
And even though the subjective nature of prayer makes it difficult to scientifically measure its effects, a study published in the Journal of Religion and Health from 1988 found that cancer patients receiving intercessory prayers (prayers on behalf of others) had significantly better health outcomes than the control group of patients who didn’t receive any prayers.
I witnessed this firsthand when my daughter was on life support last year, suffering from multi-organ failure in the ICU. Even though the medical care she received improved her condition, doctors were still amazed at her progress. I believe that has something to do with the endless prayers (regardless of faith) that were sent her way from people we knew and didn’t know.
The principles of chaos theory and the butterfly effect also show us that seemingly small actions or events can have far-reaching and sometimes unpredictable consequences - like how a simple act of kindness towards a stranger could set off a chain reaction of positive events that ultimately impact many people or how the reckless discarding of plastic waste can lead to the formation of something catastrophic like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which not only poses a risk to marine life but also impacts the entire food chain and the health of the ocean’s ecosystem.
All this interconnectedness creates ripple effects. One person’s kindness ripples through the web touching the lives of others. One person’s garbage contributes to a global environmental crisis.
And these ripple effects are multi-directional.
Something that happens in the politics of another country can ultimately impact gas prices, which impacts how much money we have to spend, which impacts our daily experiences, for example. And vice versa - something someone says on social media can influence public opinion, shape political decisions, and eventually affect the lives of millions. These ripple effects are intricate, multi-directional and never-ending.
Simply because you exist, you’ve forever changed the system.
As we navigate through this huge web full of ripple effects, we often do so without awareness or complete understanding of its nature, appearance, or the most effective way to approach it. Heck, most of us don’t even realize we exist within it!
While we may never fully grasp it, I believe that using something like the Power Spheres Framework can help us understand our place within this larger context, see the levels of power we have, empower us to make more conscious choices, help us to positively contribute to the world, and enable us to effectively tackle the complexities that life presents - in our personal and professional lives. And by acknowledging and understanding our interconnectedness, we can also better connect with each other, fostering stronger relationships and more meaningful interactions.
The Power Spheres Framework
So how do we operate in this life operating system? How much power do we have? Where do you and I fit in? How do we make things happen? How can we manage our lives?
By understanding the different spheres in the framework and their interactions, we can better assess our power and capabilities in any situation.
The framework has three main spheres: The Sphere of Autonomy, the Sphere of Direct Influence, and the Sphere of Indirect Influence.
The Sphere of Autonomy
If we were to imagine that each of us is a blip within this huge, interconnected web of life, and each of us walks around with three concentric power spheres around ourselves, then the first sphere surrounding us is the Sphere of Autonomy.
This is where we have the most power.
It’s where we choose our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and actions. Here’s where we have agency over how we think about or process events, the meaning we give things, the emotions we create and nurture, the behaviors we choose to exhibit.
This is where we make micro and macro decisions and execute against them - whether we realize it or not.
The time we wake up. The cup of coffee we make. The things we say to our significant other. What we choose to wear. The things we choose to think about. Doom Scrolling social media. Reading a book. Going for a run. Eating a piece of cake. Talking about your coworker over Slack to other coworkers. Recognizing the misalignment of the teams and taking the initiative to understand different perspectives. Thinking about how horrible your job is. Thinking about how wonderful last night was. Thinking about how much you miss your youth. None of it is good or bad, right or wrong. They’re all things we choose to think, feel, and do. And all of this - is up to us as individuals (for the most part).
We have the most power here, in this sphere. Apply this over time, and we start to see why sayings like “you are what you repeat” “excellence is in the daily habits” etc. make sense. Because the only true, direct power we have over the experience of our lives - over the outcomes and consequences - is in what we do.
Our direct power is in how we choose to show up.
How happy we are, how successful we are, the results we create, the experiences we have - are directly impacted by those choices to think, feel, and do. The funny thing about the sphere of autonomy, is that even though this is where we have the most power, the impact of or the outcomes we create are only influenced by those thoughts, feelings, and actions.
The Sphere of Direct Influence
The impact of our actions exists in this sphere, the Sphere of Direct Influence. This sphere encompasses the people, systems, structures, and organizations that we directly interact with and have the ability to impact with our own thoughts, feelings and actions.
Here we can influence and change things, but we can’t control them. We may attempt to shape them, but ultimately, the final outcome is not up to us. The things other people feel, perceive, and do also exist here. And they, in turn, directly influence what we feel, perceive, and do.
Let’s say your doctor tells you that you have high blood pressure, so you need to exercise more, eat less salt and processed foods, lose some weight, and take some pills. Your power is in how you perceive this information, what you make it mean and ultimately in the actions you take - your sphere of autonomy.
Doing all the things your doctor recommended will most likely influence the outcome, which is lowering your blood pressure. But is it still possible that you do all those things and your blood pressure is still high? YES, absolutely. Why? Because we live in an interconnected operating system that connects us with so many things - known unknowns, and unknown unknowns - and your blood pressure is in the sphere of direct influence, not in the sphere of autonomy. Maybe you have an underlying condition like kidney disease that’s impacting your condition. Maybe the fruits and vegetables you’re eating, which have been imported from different parts of the world, are grown with chemicals that are now throwing your hormones off balance.
Similarly, as a parent, we can provide a nurturing and supportive environment for our children, but we still can’t fully control their choices, interests, or the friends they make. If your two-year-old wants to throw a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store, he will throw that tantrum. And his tantrum sends very strong ripple effects your way that impact how you feel and think. Nonetheless, the actions you choose may influence their behavior, but you can’t control it.
Even as an employee, we can set clear goals, implement best practices, have impeccable processes and reporting, but we still can’t control the performance of our projects or campaigns (nor how other people respond to that performance).
It’s like a gardener tending to her garden. She can water, prune, fertilize, and sing to her plants, but ultimately the plants’ growth also depends on factors beyond the gardener’s control, like the weather, soil quality, and pests.
The Sphere of Indirect Influence
Finally, the outermost sphere is the Sphere of Indirect Influence. This includes the vast majority of the interconnected web of life. It consists of the systems, structures, relationships, and events we don’t have direct control or influence over, but we still can be impacted by or have an impact on through ripple effects.
The cause and effect is not as clear, and the impact of what we choose to do is less strong. There are many more unknown unknowns. But because everything is interconnected, because of ripple effects, and because you exist in the system, you still have influence.
Consider for example the way we consume products and support certain industries through our buying decisions. While our individual choices might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, collectively, they contribute to the global demand for certain products and services, which in turn can affect industries, the economy and the environment (got milk?).
Now imagine that something happens in the Sphere of Indirect Influence - like a natural disaster or a banking crisis - that sends a strong ripple our way, shaking our Sphere of Autonomy. These events might lead to shortages of essential goods, increased prices, job loss, and other things we rely on in our daily lives.
As these ripples reach our Sphere of Autonomy, we might feel the impact on our finances, daily routines, or even our emotional well-being. And that’s expected. It’s important to recognize though that we have more power in our Sphere of Autonomy - what we make these things mean and what we do as a result - than we do in the Sphere of Indirect Influence. The waves are coming. Rather than fighting the waves, we can just adjust our sails to adapt to the new circumstances. It’s not easy, but it’s still possible, and it allows us to maintain a sense of agency in our lives.
Putting it All Together: The Essence of the Spheres
In this complex and ever-changing world, zooming out and looking at things from a different vantage point can help us see the interconnectedness and dynamism of life and allow us to also recognize the different levels of power and influence that exist within this system. Seeing how things work in this way can empower us to make more conscious choices, and navigate life with more joy and greater confidence.
By thinking about life through the perspective of the three power spheres and their interplay, we can live life more fully, more powerfully, improve our connections with others, and contribute positively. Being present to this framework also allows us to empathize, collaborate, and understand the perspectives and experiences of those around us, ultimately enriching our relationships and making us better people.
So as we continue on our journey through life, I hope we all remember that we are each an essential part of this interconnected web, and that the power we possess in each sphere can help us adapt, thrive, and maintain a sense of agency in the face of life’s challenges, all the while making the world a better place for us all.
