How to Transform the Environment Around You

How to Transform the Environment Around You

‍

All right. Welcome back to the Daily Mastermind, George Wright III here with your daily dose of inspiration, motivation, and education. Today I want to talk to you about just a quick, simple, short message. It's a great message that I heard just recently. But let's start you out with the daily mastermind quote of the day from John Florio.

John Florio says, Who has not served, cannot command. Who has not served, cannot command.

‍

Leadership Through Service

This actually reminds me of a really good point I heard just recently in a mastermind group. Individuals had asked the question: if you're an employer, let's say a CEO or running a company, can you be friends with your employees, or do they lose respect for you?

The response that this mentor gave was really good. He said absolutely, you can lead as friends and you can become friends. Most people don’t understand what true leadership is. Leadership is not authoritative. It's not about telling people what to do and having power over them. It's actually about serving them.

When you serve people and you're there to support and guide them, two things happen. Number one, they can do their best job possible. And number two, you don’t have to lean on authority and control to be respected. The truth is, it’s only individuals who feel they need authority and control that believe they cannot be friends with their employees.

Over the years, I’ve had my own struggles with this. I’ve shouldered a lot of responsibilities, and at times I’ve kept myself distant, especially when I was grinding and pushing hard. But I’ve learned that when you build real relationships with people, they are willing to go to the mat for you. And when those relationships are built on service, you naturally step into the role of a true leader.

Just like the quote says, Who has not served, cannot command. Through service, you can become the ultimate leader.

‍

The Coffee Bean Lesson

Now, today I want to give you just a short lesson, and it comes from bestselling authors John Gordon and Damon West. Damon has an amazing story — one you should really check out — and together they wrote the book The Coffee Bean.

The Coffee Bean carries a simple but powerful lesson about creating positive change. That change can influence your life, your environment, and even the way you respond to challenges. The book uses an illustration that’s easy to understand yet deeply profound.

Life can often be difficult, especially lately, right? It can feel harsh, stressful, and overwhelming — almost like a pot of boiling water. Imagine this pot of boiling water as your environment. Your environment can do many things to you: it can weaken you, it can harden you, or it can test and refine you into the person you’re meant to become.

Let’s break it down through this metaphor.

‍

Transforming Your Environment

The first example is a carrot. When you place a carrot inside boiling water, it weakens and softens. It breaks down. Some people are like carrots. When their environment puts them under pressure, they lose strength, retreat, and become timid or isolated.

Others are like an egg. Place an egg in boiling water, and it hardens. People who react this way allow their environment to make them angry, bitter, and closed off. Their hearts harden, and instead of growing through challenges, they push back with negativity.

But then there’s the coffee bean. Unlike the carrot or the egg, the coffee bean has the power to transform its environment. When placed in boiling water, it doesn’t just sit there — it changes the water into coffee. The bean influences the environment around it, transforming it into something better.

The lesson is simple: you get to choose how you respond to the world around you. Will you let the environment weaken you like the carrot? Will you let it harden you like the egg? Or will you rise to the challenge and transform your environment like the coffee bean?

When you choose to be like the coffee bean, you bring energy, optimism, and influence into the world. Just like a cup of strong coffee can lift you up, your perspective and your actions can positively impact those around you.

‍

Final Thoughts and Call to Action

That’s my message for today. Do me a favor — if you haven’t already, subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode, and share it with someone who could benefit. I’d really appreciate it, and it would mean the world to me knowing that the message could help someone else in their journey.

Remember, the real question is not just about what your environment is doing to you, but what you are doing to your environment. Are you letting circumstances weaken you like a carrot? Are you allowing them to harden your heart like an egg? Or are you stepping up, like the coffee bean, and transforming your surroundings into something better?

You have the choice. You have the ability to create positive change in your life and the lives of those around you. It’s all about perspective, perception, and the decision to influence rather than be influenced.

Take this lesson into your day, your week, and your life. Be the one who transforms, not the one who retreats or resents. And always remember — you have greatness inside of you.

‍