One of the basic concepts of air to air combat, or dogfighting, is the control zone.  The control zone is perhaps the most important of dogfighting principles – once you are in your enemy’s control zone, there is very little he can do to shake you – and you can easily make a kill.  Just like the one and two circle fights experienced in aerial combat, Stephen Covey describes two circles – the circle of concern and the circle of influence. 

How do you feel when you see the bloodied, terrified children in Aleppo after an airstrike?  How do you feel when you see the pictures of the refugee camps in Europe.  How do you feel when you see images from yet another shooting or terrorist attack?  But the real questions is: What can you really do about it?  I think we all know the answer: Nothing.  When we see images and hear stories of suffering and violence they enter into our subconscious and become circles of concern – events and issues that most certainly concern us, but also issues and events we can do nothing about.

Let me encourage us to not focus on our circles of concern, but instead focus on our circles of influence. Our circles of influence include our family, our neighborhood, and our vocation – to name a few.  While there is very little that I, Eric, can do for the children of Aleppo, there is much I can do for my own child, for my child’s friends, and for the children who are suffering in my community.  While there is little that I, Eric, can do in light of a terrorist attack in Orlando, there is much that I can do in my own place of work to help prevent an attack from occurring there.

So, how do we do this?  In some ways, it is counter-intuitive and takes an effort to accomplish.

1. Turn off the 24 news.  It is simply not needed, and according to a well-researched article in the Huffington Post, is making us sick.
2. Turn off your Facebook alerts. Again, this is simply not needed.  If you use FB for work, discipline yourself to check your feed every couple of hours.  This too, is causing un-needed anxiety.
3. Subscribe to, or pick up, a local newspaper or newsletter.  These publications can often be found for free at your local coffee shop and are an excellent source of local information.  In these publications you will see articles regarding women’s and children’s shelters, pregnancy care centers, and other local needs.
4. Focus on what is going on in the lives of your family and co-workers. Maybe this is the hardest part – listen.  Listen to the needs of your children, your spouse, and those of your co-workers.  How can you meet one of their needs and be a force for positive change in their world?

Please understand that I am not advocating for a withdrawal from social media, the news, or ignoring global problems.  I am simply taking a critical look at what we can actually influence in our lives.  Turning off our brains and allowing FB and the 24 hr. news cycle to determine what we see and are concerned about actually does very little for the real issues.  Turning on our brains and taking a look at the very real needs within our circle of influence free us to settle into our control zone and make a difference in the world in which we live.