You’ve heard the age-old saying about what is most important in real estate:
Location, location, location.
Some locations are expensive (like the 53rd floor penthouse in Chicago where this picture was taken). Other locations are less expensive in financial terms, but might be more valuable to you individually.
You might not have thought about it, but the importance of “location, location, location” is far broader than in real estate values.
It is important in many areas of life, including the results you get in your work.
Think about your experience for a second.
Are there places you are happier? More productive? More focused?
Are there places you find yourself less stressed? Less bothered? Less distracted?
Of course there are!
This article isn’t about extolling the virtues of any one place in particular – in fact, the answers to the questions above would be different for different people. Instead, in a minute I will share four advantages you can gain from the places in which you find yourself.
It is your job to translate these ideas into something valuable for you. But before you get to the advantages, think about two or three of your very favorite places; get a crystal clear image of those places before you read on…
The Four Advantages
Location affects attitude. If you are on the beach, you are likely pretty happy. If you are stuck in the back of a plane sitting on a hot runaway, with sweaty people on both sides of you, you probably aren’t. While these may define extremes, the point is always accurate. Your environment can inspire you, make you full of awe, disgust you and much more. Recognition of the impact will help you consciously choose the places that encourage a more positive attitude. And whenever possibly, this recognition will help you choose a different attitude when you know your location isn’t going to inspire positive attitudes and emotions on its own.
Location changes perspective. When you go to a new place – whether it is a new office, a new restaurant, a new city or a new country – there are new perspectives and observations all around you. It might be easy to think about this example if you grew up in the downtown area of a large city and then find yourself on a secluded lake – the vast differences make new perspectives obvious. Those new perspectives are available in any location, however similar it is to your past experiences. You can create changes in perspective offered by location simply by looking for them.
Location enhances experiences. Every new place offers more than a new perspective; it offers a chance to add to your life experience. When you stop to drink in, absorb and truly observe the sights, sounds, smells and tastes around you you make your life more full, more vibrant. These rich experiences can help you immediately be more productive. And, the accumulation of these experiences allows you to be more productive, creative and successful throughout your life when you are really living and noticing them.
Location allows learning. You can always learn from location. If you find yourself in downtown Chicago sleeping somewhere near a busy fire station, there will be noises not often heard when living in a small town. What can you learn from that? A new location likely offers the chance to be around new people; people you can learn from individually or collectively. What will you learn from them? You may find yourself around animals or plants or other parts of nature with which you aren’t familiar. What can you learn from this? The key is always asking yourself, “what can I learn in this location or environment?” When you ask yourself that question you create intentional learning.
In all of these instances what you learn might be serendipitous (rather than planned), but the process of using location or environment as a conscious trigger for learning is extraordinarily powerful.
These four factors are real and impact you and your results regardless of the location in which you find yourself.
It is your responsibility and opportunity to maximize the advantage you take from these truths.
Potential Pointer: Location matters! And when you understand why it matters you can make choices to take the greatest advantage of your location – whether it is a location you love or loathe.
Leaders recognize the value of environment or place as a subtle yet important factor in the success of their teams and organizations. Leaders from around the world and from all different environments have made the Remarkable Leadership Learning System their choice for a learning environment. This one skill at a time, one month at a time approach to becoming a more confident and successful leader allows people to learn from other members and experts from a wide variety of fields and backgrounds. It’s all designed to help you become a more effective leader. $748.25 worth of leadership development materials including two complimentary months of that unique system are yours as part of Kevin Eikenberry’s Most Remarkable Free Leadership Gift Ever.
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