Author: Dirk Kreuter
_Dirk Kreuter_
Reading time: 20 minutes
Synopsis
Decision: Environment (2025) shows how much our personal and work environment affects how we think, act, and grow. You will learn why success doesn’t happen alone. It comes from the people, systems, and digital influences around us. You’ll also get tips on how to shape your environment on purpose.
What’s inside for you: Shaping your environment on purpose for more clarity, energy, and success.
Do you ever feel smaller in some groups? You suddenly think more carefully or dream less big. This happens because the people around you act the same way? But then there are other times. You meet someone, and suddenly you feel alive, brave, and full of ideas.
Both of these things don’t happen by chance. Our environment works quietly, but it is powerful. It shapes what we think is possible – and what is not. And often, we only realize how much it affects us much later.
In this Blink, you will learn to see if your environment helps you or holds you back. With real-life examples and useful tips, we will show you how to slowly create a new life for yourself. This includes people and places that help you grow personally and at work.
Blink 1 – Caught in the Group: How Our Social Environment Shapes Us
Look around you. Who do you spend most of your time with? Is it your patient partner? Your always grumpy colleague? Your creative, fun-loving aunt? The people around you are like a mirror of your future. Their behavior, their words, their drive – all of this influences you without you knowing. If you spend a lot of time with people who just drift along, don’t want to change much, or only see problems, you will take on these attitudes. You won’t even realize it. But excitement, focus, or calmness also pass on to you when you are around them. Success and energy spread just like laziness and doubt.
Think about the gym, for example. If you have a gym partner who takes their goals seriously – someone who counts reps, motivates you, and cares about good exercise form – you will push yourself more. However, if you train with someone who is always late, does sets without effort, or constantly looks at their phone, your own effort will also drop. Your environment acts like an invisible rubber band. It pulls you to its level, whether up or down.
This also happens at work. Imagine two colleagues who have the same skills. One of them spends time after work with people who complain about bosses and clients. The other person talks with people who discuss ideas, goals, and chances. After one year, there is a big difference between their two worlds. While one person stays stuck, the other has started new projects or has been promoted. The difference? Not talent, but the social environment.
The exciting thing is: You can shape your environment on purpose. Because you decide who you see more often, who you listen to, and whose opinions you value. If you want to grow financially, spend time with people who understand money. They talk about strategies and investments. If you want to live healthier, find friends for whom sport and good food are normal. Do you want to be more confident? Then spend time with people who believe in themselves and take responsibility.
Our tip for practice: Once a month, do a quick check of your environment. Write down the five people you spend the most time with. Honestly ask yourself: Do they bring you closer to the life you want? If not, slowly reduce their influence. You don’t have to judge or push anyone away. But you are allowed to set new priorities for yourself.
By the way, your environment is not just the people you meet often. Your digital world also affects you.
Blink 2 – Under the Spell of Algorithms: How Our Digital Environment Shapes Us
When you hear “environment,” you probably think of family, friends, and colleagues. Maybe also the places you visit. But today, there’s another quiet player that people often forget: the digital world. Every day, we spend hours online. We watch videos, scroll through feeds, listen to podcasts, or read posts. This creates a second environment. It is shaped not by people, but by algorithms. Digital systems decide what we see. This affects what we think about, what we believe, and what we want more of.
Algorithms are like mirrors. They copy our behavior. If you click on a video about success, the algorithm suggests more like it. If you watch something negative, it shows you more content with the same feeling. This creates an invisible loop that slowly shapes what you see and think. After a while, you might believe the world is mostly bad. This is because you constantly see bad news. But you are only seeing a small part of what is really happening.
The effect of algorithms is not obvious, but it is very important. If you regularly consume content that tells you wealth is impossible to reach or discipline is useless, your inner guide starts to follow these ideas. Not all at once, but slowly. Repeating things changes habits. And habits change your thinking. Just as your body becomes lazy if you eat badly, your mind also becomes lazy if you constantly feed it with mental junk food.
Science also shows this. Even a small reduction in daily online time can greatly lower stress and unhappiness. This is because many feeds are made to stir up emotions. They are not made to help you learn new things. Their goal is to keep you on screen for as long as possible. That is why being aware is your strongest tool here.
Imagine your algorithm like a dog. If you just let it run free, it will pull you wherever it wants. But if you train it, it will follow your commands. You can train it by choosing carefully what content you pay attention to. React to posts that inspire you or show you new ways of thinking. And delete or ignore anything that brings you down. This way, you actively control your digital space.
Our tip for practice: Once a week, take a few minutes to check your online environment. Open your feeds and ask yourself: Does what I see here really help me move forward? If not, clean it out completely. What you consume digitally is not a small thing. It is a way of leading yourself.
Blink 3 – In the Grip of the Old: Why Letting Go Helps Us Grow
Imagine a powerful old tree standing in an open field. It is big, strong, and has deep roots. But to become this way, it had to make space. Smaller trees around it had to go. Branches were cut so that light, air, and room could be created. Personal growth works in the same way. We cannot keep everything forever. Sometimes we have to let go of things so that new things can start.
Growth means making choices. It might mean quitting a familiar job. You might feel that it is holding you back. Or giving up old habits that are comfortable but no longer helpful. Sometimes it can also mean separating from people who pull you back into old ways. This “cutting off” hurts. But it is the price for growing and moving forward.
Often we hold on to things or relationships that slow us down. “I can’t just leave,” you might think. But you absolutely can. It doesn’t mean you become cold or heartless. It means you are taking responsibility. Think of someone who goes through rehab. Then they go back to their old group of friends. How long will they stay clean if they face the same temptations every day? Your environment has more power than you think.
This is also true in daily life. Maybe you know the feeling of being full of energy after a seminar, coaching, or workshop. But then you go back to your old environment. No one there shares your excitement. Suddenly, your motivation seems too much. And you start to fit in. You talk less, dream smaller dreams, just to belong. This is where it’s decided if you truly grow. Will you find an environment that supports your new level? Or will you go back to being the person you were before?
It is completely normal for people to grow in different directions. If someone stays still while you move forward, distance naturally grows. This is a normal result of development. It’s important that you see when this point is reached. Then be brave and strong enough to still go your own way.
This can also be necessary within your family. Being blood relatives does not give permission for bad influence. If conversations regularly make you feel down, or you feel empty after meetings, you can limit contact. You can come later, leave earlier, or simply show up less often. Don’t see it as breaking up. See it as protecting yourself.
Growth is rarely a smooth process. And the word “growing pains” is not used by accident. Often, we have to put up with a lot before things get better. But this is what separates those who grow from those who stay stuck.
Our tip for practice: Once a year, look at your environment – people, places, routines. Honestly ask yourself what makes you stronger and what makes you weaker. Then, make a clear break. Separate yourself from anything that slows you down or takes your energy.
But sometimes, such a break happens completely unexpectedly. You didn’t want it. How do you deal with such changes in life?
Blink 4 – Phoenix from the Ashes: How Big Changes in Life Release Energy for New Things
Sometimes life makes decisions for you. Without warning. Without asking you. Suddenly, you lose something that was always there: a job, a partner, a team, maybe even your whole way of life. It feels like someone pulls the ground from under you: first shock, then emptiness. But right in this emptiness, something new begins. Even if you cannot see it at that moment.
A change in environment that you didn’t choose often feels like a step backward. But in truth, it is a raw starting point. When you are in the middle of the storm, you don’t realize that this storm wants to free you, not destroy you. Maybe your environment was outdated for a long time. But you didn’t have the courage to let go yourself. Then life makes this decision for you.
A good example of how breaks create growth is the story of Steve Jobs. The Apple founder was forced out of his own company. For many, this would have been the lowest point. But instead of giving up, Jobs simply started again. He founded another company, experimented, learned, and finally invested in a small animation studio. This studio would make movie history with Toy Story. Years later, he returned to Apple. He was stronger, clearer, and more experienced than before. The biggest new ideas he is known for today came only after his conflict with Apple.
Or take Howard Schultz, who later became the head of Starbucks. As a child, he saw his father left without insurance or help after a work accident. This experience stayed with him. Decades later, it led Schultz to build a company culture where even part-time workers were secure. Pain became responsibility. Loss became a vision.
Life does not pull you out to punish you. Instead, it shakes you awake. It sends you to a new place where you can grow. But this only works if you stop holding on to the past. Many hold on to their old environment. It’s as if they could turn back time. But if you only try to save what is already gone, you will miss the opportunities right in front of you.
If you suddenly lose something, you also gain something. You gain the freedom to choose again who you are. You can choose who you are with, and what you want to do. The break is not an end. It is a reset. It gives you the chance to create an environment that better fits your next version of yourself.
Our tip for practice: If life takes something away from you, take time to grieve. But don’t stop moving forward. Write down three things you can now do differently because your environment has changed. Ask yourself: “What new things are possible now that were blocked before?” This simple question turns loss into a chance for progress.
Finally, let’s look at a special environment: your business network.
Blink 5 – Success Through Networking: How to Build the Best Business Network for Yourself.
No matter if you are self-employed or run a company: Your network is much more than a nice extra. It is your sounding board, your early warning system, and it speeds up your progress. But how do you build a good business network? What should you pay attention to?
First point: Check what kind of people you are currently connected with. Are they entrepreneurs, founders, self-employed people, investors, doers? In short: people who create, take responsibility, and take risks? Or are they mainly employees who don’t have much freedom to make changes in their jobs? Both types of people have value. But if you are in a decision-making role, you need an environment with people in similar roles.
In high-quality business networks, people are not just accepted because they pay a fee. They are checked. Often, interviews, recommendations, or even proof of certain successes are needed. This might sound difficult, but it makes a big difference. When a room has only people who know what they are talking about, deep discussions happen. You get good feedback. You hear different views on your business model. And you leave with clear ideas for action.
The idea of “mastermind groups” works in a similar way. Imagine twenty entrepreneurs sitting at a table. They all have similar sales levels or areas of responsibility. Each person brings a challenge. Everyone else helps to find solutions. Instead of light networking, you get a lot of experience. This comes from hundreds of mistakes and successes.
The second point is about having different points of view. Many entrepreneurs stay too long in their own industry. This is comfortable, but also risky. In this situation, people often just share the same ideas again and again. Real new ideas happen when different worlds meet.
A third point, often missed, is privacy. Today, ideas can be shared in seconds. So, keeping things private is very valuable. Therefore, choose your network not only based on skill, but also on honesty. You should be able to speak openly. Your ideas should not appear in the next industry meeting. Good networks have clear rules. The most important one is: Everything said stays in the room.
Our tip for practice: Make a small checklist for your ideal network:
- Clear goals: What do you want to achieve through your network? Growth, knowledge, money, or inspiration?
- Quality of members: Are there rules for joining, or can anyone just become a member?
- Variety of industries: Are there people from other fields? Do they challenge you and give you new ways of thinking?
- Privacy: Are there unspoken or written rules that ensure openness and trust?
- Focus on results: Do you leave meetings with ideas, energy, and a drive to act? If not, it’s time to move on.
A good network feels like a mirror that shows you bigger than you currently see yourself. It inspires you to grow into that size.
Conclusion
How we think, what we do, what choices we make: All of this is greatly shaped by our environment. This mainly includes people. But it also includes places, routines, and even the content we consume online. Whether we know it or not, we always adapt. The key question is: To whom and to what?
When you realize you can shape your own environment, your personal growth begins. This also means being brave enough to let go of old habits and people who hold you back. Sometimes life makes this choice for you. It pulls you out of your comfort zone. Don’t see this as a disaster. See it as an invitation to grow.
For entrepreneurs and self-employed people: Choose your business network carefully. Successful people with experience and foresight will give you new ideas. They will help you make better decisions.
So: Don’t leave your environment to chance! Make it a key factor for your personal and professional success!
Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/de/books/entscheidung-umfeld-de