The environment you are in can either drag you back or pull you forward.
This blog shows people what Marilyn and I eventually mastered our mindset before ever reading a book about it but it took us 9 years to change: As my friend Dr Mike green would say your environment is either your anchor or your propeller.
Environment:
Designing a life that pulls you forward.
Most people think success is about willpower.
Or discipline.
Or motivation.
Or talent.
But here’s the truth I learned the hard way:
Your environment shapes you more than your intentions ever will.
You can have the best goals, the best plans, the best mindset but if your environment is pulling you backwards, you will lose.
And if your environment is designed to pull you forward, you will win almost automatically.
The environment we grew up in.
When we were young, our environment didn’t exactly scream “future entrepreneur.”
We didn’t have money.
We didn’t have opportunity.
We didn’t have role models.
We didn’t have people telling us we could build anything.
But we did have something powerful:
A desire to create an environment that was better than the one we were born into.
We didn’t know it at the time, but every small choice we made every job, every habit, every person I spent time with was shaping our future environment. And that environment was shaping us.
The environment Marilyn and I built together.
When Marilyn and I met at 15 and 16, we didn’t just build a relationship.
We had to build a better environment.
But for the next 9 years.
Work ethic never entered our brains.
Learning ceased at 15.
We complained about everything.
Improvement was selective.
Dreams were just dreams.
Excuses were normal.
Encouragement, not in our environment.
Then sometimes it takes rock bottom to change. A light swich moment:
On the 26th September 1974 we instantly changed.
- Hard work instantly became normal.
- Learning became expected, just like breathing.
- Complaining wasn’t allowed, it is what it is so get on with it.
- Improvement was constant, I mean every minute.
- Dreams were taken seriously, whatever you can conceive you can achieve.
- Excuses didn’t survive.
- Encouragement was self-talk every waking hour.
We didn’t have much, but we had momentum.
And momentum is an environment all by itself.
That environment pulled us forward long before success ever arrived, but they do go hand in hand.
The environment: Our Secret Weapon.
People often ask how we built a business that grew from 37p to £100 million.
They expect a strategy.
A trick.
A breakthrough.
But the real answer is simple:
We built an environment where winning was normal.
Not flashy.
Not loud.
Not forced.
Just normal.
An environment where:
- Customers were treated like family
- Staff were encouraged to grow
- Problems were solved quickly
- Ideas were welcomed
- Learning was constant
- Improvement was daily
- Standards were high
- Blame was low
People didn’t work for us they grew with us.
That’s what a powerful environment does.
Why Environment Beats Willpower.
Willpower is temporary.
Environment is permanent.
Willpower fades when you’re tired.
Environment supports you when you’re tired.
Willpower disappears under stress.
Environment protects you under stress.
Willpower relies on emotion.
Environment relies on structure.
If you want to change your life, don’t rely on willpower.
Change your environment.
The three environments that shape your life.
You’re not shaped by one environment; you’re shaped by three.
1. Your physical environment.
Your home.
Your workspace.
Your routines.
Your habits.
Your systems.
Do they pull you forward or hold you back?
2. Your social environment.
The people you spend time with.
The conversations you have.
The standards around you.
Do they challenge you or drain you?
3. Your mental environment.
Your thoughts.
Your beliefs.
Your expectations.
Your identity.
Do they empower you or limit you?
Change these three environments and your life changes automatically.
A simple example from our early days.
When we were building our first shop, we didn’t have fancy equipment or big budgets.
But we created an environment where:
- The shop was spotless.
- The shelves were perfect.
- The service was fast.
- The energy was positive.
- The standards were high.
Customers felt it.
Staff felt it.
We felt it.
That environment pulled us forward every single day.
A Challenge for This Week.
Don’t try to change your whole life.
Change your environment.
Ask yourself:
“What is one part of my environment that is holding me back?”
Then fix it.
And ask:
“What is one part of my environment that could pull me forward?”
Then build it.
Because when your environment is designed for growth,
you don’t have to force success; you get pulled into it.