Why You Need to Maintain the Right Environment for Success

Environment plays a crucial part in determining who you are, where you will go and how you will get there. In the right environment most people, plants and animals will not only survive but thrive. In the wrong environment, people plants and animals not only won't grow but will perish.

For example, there was a story of a little boy who wanted to play with his pet fish. So he reached into the fish tank, caught the squirming fish and placed it on the floor beside him. As he played, he talked to the fish about everything he was doing until he became so engrossed in his toys he forgot about the fish. Minutes later, he remembered the fish and turned toward it. He noticed the fish no longer moved when he touched it. The boy was frightened and ran to his mother with the fish in his hand.

When his mother saw the fish, she quickly took it and put in the fish tank. The boy tearfully watched as his pet fish floated to the top of the water. The fish was dead. When the mother asked her son what happened to the fish, the boy replied, "Why, we were playing together on the floor when I noticed he wasn't moving."

The mother replied, "Honey, didn't you know that the fish can't live on the floor? Fish were made to live in the water."

This story illustrates how all of us depend on the correct environment to live and grow. Even as fish need water to live, so we need the proper environment that was designed for us to live. Too often, we are unaware of how important our environment has on our lives. We flop like fish on the floor and wonder what's wrong.

Be Careful of the Wrong Environment

Not being planted in the right environment causes death. If vegetation is planted in dry ground or if crops are planted during the wrong part of the year, they will eventually whither and die. Wildlife or people who live in drought areas will die from dehydration and starvation. Fish that live in polluted waters will become sick and die.

Likewise, if you stay in an environment where there is constant negativity. You can let your hopes and dreams die. Constantly hearing that you can't do something can make you believe it after awhile. To be successful, you need to constantly hear positive things and listen to positive people. What I mean is listening to the Bible, viewing successful people talk on DVD or CD. This has to take daily for your mind to be renewed.

Everything Has an Ideal Environment

Everything was designed to function within a specific environment. The conditions of that environment are the specifications that affect someone's or something's ability to fulfill its purpose. Your potential is directly related to your environment. If your environment is lacking, you will fail to achieve all you were created to do. If your environment is ideal, the possibilities for fulfilling your potential are limitless.

What happens in your life is determined by who you live with, who you keep company with, where you spend your time and what you feed your mind.
Here is a checklist for your Environmental Conditions:

• Who are your friends?
• What books do you read?
• What movies do you watch?
• What magazines fill your shelves?
• What are your hobbies?
• What are your recreational activities?
• What type of music do you listen?
• Who are your heroes?
• Who feeds you spiritually?
• Are the conditions of your home, school, work or play conducive to your goals in life?

All the above should be carefully screened, analyzed and adjusted to feed, activate, enhance and foster the release of your potential.