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New Year, New Focus: Choose What You Can Control and Care For

Welcome to NEXTletter, your personal 121 (One To One) with your future - 1 question, 2 perspectives, 1 experiment.

Author

Frederik Pferdt
December 20, 2024

If you prefer to listen đź“» to this NEXTletter, just click here.

Here are the previous NEXTletters 📧 you might want to read if you haven’t already: 1-2-1 With Your Future, Are Your Waiting Or Creating or The Let-Go Ritual.

As we step into a new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on where our energy goes and how we can focus on what truly matters: what we can control and care for. This NEXTletter offers a guide to help you shift your perspective for a more intentional and empowered year ahead.

ONE QUESTION TO REFLECT ON

"Am I focusing on what I can control, or wasting energy on what I can’t?”

You

During a devastating hurricane, Maria faced what seemed insurmountable: her home damaged, the community in chaos, and endless stories of destruction on the news. She felt trapped in the Circle of Concern, consumed by what she couldn’t change.

But Maria chose to focus on her Circle of Control. She began clearing debris and creating a safe space for her family. Then, she turned to her Circle of Care, setting up a small table with water and food for her neighbors. Word spread, and soon others joined her, bringing supplies and rebuilding their community together.

Maria couldn’t stop the hurricane, but she transformed concern into action and unity by focusing on control and care.

"Energy flows where attention goes—focus on what you can control, and watch possibility unfold."

TWO PERSPECTIVES TO CONSIDER

The 3 Circles Framework


Stephen R. Covey’s Circle of Control guides us in channeling energy effectively:

Circle of Control: Your core zone of power—actions, choices, and mindset. Here, your influence is direct and impactful.

Circle of Care: Surrounding control, this reflects what you value deeply and can influence, like relationships, health, and community. Energy here fosters growth.

Circle of Concern: The outermost layer, filled with worries beyond your reach, like global events or others’ decisions. Concern often leads to stress without resolution.

By centering on control and care, you amplify your energy where it truly matters.

Shifting from Concern to Contribution


The Circle of Concern can feel like standing in an unstoppable storm, leaving you overwhelmed and drained. Yet, within every storm lies an opportunity for meaningful action.

“You can’t control the storm, but how you care and act within it shapes what comes next.”

This perspective transforms powerlessness into possibility. While the storm rages, your choices can guide you toward calm, clarity, and positive impact. Each action, no matter how small, becomes a step toward reshaping the future—even in chaos.

Three Circles Framework

ONE EXPERIMENT - FOR TODAY, NOT SOME DAY

This week, try the Careful Energy Shift Exercise:

  1. Write down three concerns that have been weighing on you.

  2. Categorize them into:

    • Control: What specific actions can you take?

    • Care: What meaningful effort or attention can you give to what matters?

    • Concern: What lies completely outside your influence?

  3. For control, take one decisive action today.

  4. For care, channel your energy into a meaningful step—a call, a kind gesture, or supporting a cause.

For concern, release it with this affirmation:
"I acknowledge this concern, but I choose to focus my energy on care and control."

QUOTES TO SHARE

Just click on quote

The future is shaped by what you nurture today. By shifting from concern to control and care, you reclaim your energy and create space for what matters most. 🌟

The next chapter of your future begins now.
– With Future Love, Frederik

A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUR QUESTIONS

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