I Win, You Lose or...

The environment always wins
Transfigurations – S3E25

This is the Part II commentary from the previous post. Continuing with this episode John Doe, who was experiencing a metamorphosis from a physical to energetic being removed himself from a hostile environment in order to create an environment that allowed him to complete his transformation. It reminds me of a coaching course in designing winning environments which goes on to explain "The Nine Environments of You" created by the late Thomas Leonard, founder of Coachville. The philosophy is, "The environment always wins." This is an important concept used in coaching and I personally have experienced the benefits of applying this concept in my daily life. It can be rather, um, well, transformative.

The evil environment

Nowhere is the importance of the environment better illustrated than in the 1971 Stanford Experiment where good people turn evil. This was a study to see what happens when college students agreed to play the role of guard or inmate for two weeks in a prison. The guards became so violent the experiment had to be aborted after six days. It seems like an odd topic for a 'positive psychology' conference in 2009 but was actually transformative in that it showed up how we could also create positive environments.

In our game culture, most games are set up as a form of competition. Winners and losers. Or, if it's a cooperative game, it's boring. Yet blindly following competition as a way of life does NOT bring out the best in us or our planet. So, what's the solution? Well. There's a third way of looking at it. And that is to create a winning environment. It starts with our inner environment and can also be applied to a global environment. I'm using the word 'environment' in a different way than the 'saving the planet' concept. Yet, if we following this new model, the latter would follow. It’s an interesting concept portrayed in Star Trek that has far-reaching implications in our own lives.

Make your own rules

For example, who do you hang out with? How do they make you feel? What kind of cafes do you go to? Who is your dentist? How easy is it to work in your kitchen? What is in your fridge and cupboard that supports you to eat well? What kind of thoughts do you think? What news do you take in? From where? Facebook? CNN? What magazines do you read? Get my drift? How would you like to feel? And how would you change your activities? In short, what would you do differently to create a winning environment for you?

If life is a game, then this is one of the cardinal rules of living an optimal life. Design winning environments – environments that support you, inspire you and nurture you. This is the catapult to true, sustainable transformation. John Doe knew he had to get away from a hostile environment to one that would support him in his transformation.

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To learn more about the Stanford experiment go to www.thelucifereffect.com
To learn more about creating winning environments go to www.coachville.com/home/html/personal_environments_method

Here are the nine environments identified by Thomas Leonard:

1. Memetic (Ideas)
2. Financial
3. Relationship (friends, family, colleagues)
4. Network (connections, community, social)
5. Physical (places, things)
6. Body (energy, appearance)
7. Self (strengths, talents, character)
8. Spiritual (deep connections, sacred spaces)
9. Nature.