The most powerful thing you can do to change your behavior (that nobody's talking about)
Why you should design your environment
257 words on shaping your environment ⬇️
Peak performance is about playing the odds.
There's a lot you can't control... how the other team prepares (or the other companies in your industry), the tactics they use, or who's available when the lights come on. Each of these things, for better or worse, will change your odds of winning.
There's also plenty you can control -- your effort, attitude, preparation, and execution.
And then, there's perhaps the most important thing you can control: your environment.
The data show that somewhere between 50 and 70% of our behavior is influenced by our environment (Plomin et al., 2016; Culp & Flory, 2025). The environment influences how we feel, the beliefs we hold, the decisions we make, our cognitive abilities, and ultimately, what we do. The influence runs so deep that the environment even activates (or deactivates) inherited traits (Meaney, 2010).
Think about that for a moment.
What's going on around you can actually change the expression of your genetics. The environment literally alters your DNA.
That's why this is one of the first areas I address with any elite performer.
The people around you, where you work, and your broader community all impact the way you show up in the world. They impact how you think, feel, and perform.
They tilt the odds in your favor or work against you.
If you want to make any meaningful improvement in your performance, it starts with significant changes in what’s going on around you.
Your environment is either helping or hurting.