One of the personal standards I’ve been holding myself to is my environment, specifically, my home. I want to take pride in my home. I want it to be a place where I feel calm, relaxed, supported, cozy, and inspired.

One way to think about the word environment is that it’s simply a set of conditions or circumstance. With this definition, we can ask, “What kind of environment am I currently in? What kind of environment do I want to be in?” For me to have a home that feels like a haven, a place I love to be in, I need to intentionally create the conditions of the space.

The environments we choose to be in or create—our friend circles, our workplace, our conversations—matter because they have some kind of impact on us.

And yet, environment also doesn’t matter and can often be used as an excuse or way to self-sabatoge. You haven’t finished that project because you just need the right place to work on it. You haven’t been cooking yourself healthy meals at home because you don’t have a great kitchen for it, but once you move, you will.

Environment matters, and it doesn’t matter. Only you know when which is true.

Also, if you find you’re using your an environment as an excuse to not do something you actually want to do, it’s possible there’s something deeper you’re avoiding in your subconscious. Getting curious about why could reveal a lot.