We are all familiar with the power of positive thinking. Most of us know that our own behaviour and attitude has the greatest bearing on our ability to succeed. But there is another important factor as well: our environment. The way we live, the friends we choose, and the company we keep, all have a direct impact on our own success in life.

Some years ago I was training to take part in a sponsored cycle ride across the Arizona desert in the USA. It was 400 km in 4 days mostly off-road, in intense heat. My friends offered to train with me – but I had to turn them down. I knew it would be all too easy to slow the pace and take it easy in their company.

I knew that to make the grade I needed to get fit and to push myself to my physical limits – and so I trained, hard, alongside people who were better than me and more experienced than me. People who would show me, by example, how to keep going when the going got tough – and who could teach me techniques that would help me to improve my performance. Without them I would never have made it across the desert. But it wasn’t an easy process.

Creating an environment of success is not always comfortable – for you, or for those around you. In order to make headway in life we need to keep the company of those who will support us rather than hold us back, and not be afraid to blaze a trail by pushing ahead alone in order to succeed.

The same rules of success apply in business too. It is important to make sure that your physical environment (how you live), your social environment (who you know) and your mental environment (how you think) are aligned with all you are aiming to accomplish.

At the Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy we see many busy business owners giving up their precious weekends to join us on our training days and workshops. They do it because they know that their future success requires spending time in a high-achieving environment, with like-minded people. Yes, they could spend a few hours watching a motivational DVD or listening to a business programme – but that is not the same as being fired up by the company of others who share an ambition to succeed. They are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that they are not held back by anyone or anything. They want to enhance their environment to increase their chances of success.

8 WAYS TO REVAMP YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Procrastination is the enemy of success – and it likes company.

I think of procrastination as living life with the snooze button permanently switched on. The danger of developing snooze-button mentality is that you start each day with a delay.

What you planned to do and what you actually do become two completely different things. When the alarm clock buzzes you react with a question (shall I delay?) rather than just getting up and getting on with taking action. If you procrastinate, others will too – and no-one is goes anywhere, fast. You will only achieve your goals if you create a plan and keep on or ahead of your schedule.

 Sometimes, if we are in a familiar environment, we get too comfortable and we stop challenging ourselves. An environment that is associated with successful outcomes and achievements may feel quite un-comfortable for much of the time. (Just think about training for hours with Olympic gold in mind; or preparing for a major presentation in order to achieve a business goal).

Striving for success means getting comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. The more used to the discomfort you get – the greater your comfort zone of achievement eventually becomes.

Asking questions is a powerful route to change your mind. Ask others how they achieved their success. What was their mindset? What did they have to let go of in order to stride forwards? What were their fears and how did they overcome them? Remaining curious means that you will never stagnate and will prevent you from make assumptions. It will keep the environment of your mind receptive to change and ready for success.

Is your thinking stuck in a rut? Does your mind need a change of scene? Ask yourself whether there are attitudes and habits you need to change in order to transform your mindset for success.

As the saying goes, ‘If you keep doing what you do, you will keep getting what you’ve got.’ Change starts by being honest with yourself. This is not about recrimination – it is about revelation.

If you can take stock and choose to reskill, retrain or change those traits that are holding you back – you are well on the way to achieving the change you want.

Sometimes in life others success can have a restricting effect. It may feel as if they have reached a place that has exceeded our own achievements. But other people’s success is simply an opportunity for you to succeed too. If you were learning a new sport you would copy the best technique. It is no different in business. Instead of feeling disheartened by those who have achieved more than you, or are better at what they do than you – model their approach.

A common feature of those who are at the top of their game in life – whether in business, sport, the arts or any other field, is that they are always striving to improve - to do more and do it better.

They usually feel they have more to achieve and more to learn. They like to exceed their personal best and to constantly push boundaries. The hunger for improvement and seeking new challenges will encourage you to always seek out those who know more than you. It will keep you growing and developing.

The road to success is not always comfortable. You may like the environment you are in and not want to move into a new arena. However - next level of success always will always lie slightly outside your current comfort zone. Personal growth happens when we are being stretched slightly beyond our current level of ability. Creativity takes place where skills and challenge meet.

The environment for success is a place of courage and bravery. And we all have more of those traits than we realise. Courage is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.

Don’t just think about it or talk about it – Do it! Some people seem stuck in a negative cycle of doom and despair. If this sounds like you or those you know, try turning future conversations into something more positive, or seek the company of more positive people to redress the balance. Does your work environment look a mess? There is a fine line between creative disorder and chaos. A more ordered workplace may free up your mind too. Do you hunger for more than you are currently achieving? Turn off the snooze button and get planning for action. If you change your environment, you will change your mind – and the success you want to achieve.

Bev James is CEO of The Academy Group including the Entrepreneurs' Business Academy and EBA for Coaches, joint ventures with James Caan; and The Coaching Academy – the world largest training school for coaches. She is a millionaires' mentor, a serial entrepreneur and author of DO IT! or DITCH IT: Turn Ideas into Action and Make Decisions That Count – 8 Steps to Business Success.