What it do, what it do, it's your boy Andre Spruel, and you're tapped into Middle of the Fence podcast. Today we're talking about something that most people don't even realize is happening in real time. And that's how your environment is quietly setting your standards. Not your goals, not your intentions, your standards. And the crazy part is a lot of us think we're making independent decisions when in reality, we're just adapting to what we're surrounded by. So if you ever felt like you're capable of more but can't quite break through, this episode is for you. Let's get into it. What it do, what it do? It's your boy Andre Spruel, and you are tuning in to Middle of the Fence Podcast. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day. Whether you're listening, watching, or both, as I like to say, time is the most valuable thing on this earth because we could spend it, but can't make it back. So as always, thank you for your time. Today, we're talking about something that most people don't even realize is even happening to them in real time. And what I mean is that your environment is setting your standards quietly, not your goals, not your intentions, your standards. And the crazy part is a lot of us think we're making independent decisions when in reality we're just adapting to what we're surrounded by. So let's delve into the real psychology behind all this. So studies show that human behavior is heavily shaped by social and physical environments, not just personality. In fact, research also suggests that your environment influences your habits more than your willpower does. And even your personality traits can shift uh depending on where you are and who you're around. So think about that. That means things like your work ethic, your expectations for life, what you tolerate, and what you believe is normal. All of the above, all of the above is being influenced every single day. And what I'm trying to convey here is that you don't rise to your potential, you fall to your environment. So affluent acres and tough terrain shaped the standards very early on for me. Um and for those that are new to the show, uh Tough Terrain is the urban environment that I grew up in, and the affluent acres is the uh suburban environment that I grew up in while going to private school from K through 12. So as a kid, it was simple as like on the tough terrain side, I got a lot of examples of what not to do and what to stay uh away from. So that way I don't end up like any of my peers that grew up on that side, or you know, end up being a drug addict or having children early or getting in trouble with the um, you know, like getting into prison or stuff like that, and just trying my absolute best, fighting tooth and nail to not become a uh statistic. And then on the affluent acres side, uh the standards was more of an excellence standard because I was directly thrown into an environment where uh there's people that don't look like me that didn't have to experience the type of things that I had to go through. So it was fighting hard to continue climbing the ladder of proving not only to myself, but to other people that I belong just as much. And my circumstances didn't define that in any kind of way. And it showed up by pursuing the excellence in education, pursuing the excellence in the career manner and just wanting to be the best version of myself. So then that way, what I had to endure and go through as a child, my future children and generations don't have to go through. So now let's dive into standards because standards don't come from what you say or what you want, they come from what you see consistently. For example, if everyone around you is surviving, survival becomes the standard. If everyone around you is thriving, excellence becomes the standard. If chaos is normal, peace feels unfamiliar. So take some time to think about how you relate to that. And there's even a concept in psychology that says most of what we think and do is influenced consciously or not by others around us. So when people say, I just need to stay discipline, sometimes it really is deeper than that. Sometimes it boils down to you trying to operate at a level your environment simply doesn't support. So based off the environment growing up, there was eventually a mindset shift. So growing up in the hood, you know, started living on my own at 22 years old and was living in the hood at the time. And then two years after living in the hood, I eventually moved out and started to live in a more suburban environment. And that's when the mindset really started to shift because of the physical environment changing, because I was so used to living in a tough terrain type of upbringing. And so changing the physical environment really started to set the mindset shift because of, okay, my physical environment has changed. So I've generally felt like I had to change as a result, right? So how did the mindset shift look like? It started by uh defining what I want my life to look like. What are some of the things that I want to go after? And then changing the habits that I, you know, felt like I had to do in order to become the version of myself that I always, you know, felt I wanted to be like, or was honestly just too scared to even take the action to become. So changing the physical environment and then starting to change the things that I started to consume and habits and things like that is really what started to change that mindset into uh developing into who I am and where I'm at at time of recording and moving forward. Now, here is where it gets dangerous because your environment doesn't just shape what you do, it shapes what you think is possible. And some examples include if you've never seen wealth, it feels like it's out of reach. If you've never seen healthy relationships, dysfunction can feel normal. If you've never seen an example of consistency growing up, discipline can feel extreme. And the craziest part, you might be living below your potential and not even know it. Because your standards have been set lower than what you're capable of. I realized my standards started or definitely needed to start to change because, you know, as the mindset shift started to happen because of change of environment, uh certain habits I was holding on to because they became a source of comfort. And the primary ones were ones of uh drinking, you know, not that I was like an alcoholic or anything like that, but you know, it was definitely something that just became a part of my life on like a at a at a subconscious level, you know, like partying in high school, partying in college, living on my own at in my early 20s, always having people over, always going out, and then just having that moment of realization of like, I don't want to wake up every Sunday morning with a pounding headache. You know, like I actually want to do more with my life, you know. So that was that was one aspect. And another aspect was the smoking habit as well, you know. Um I've never said this on camera to my audience, so I don't even know if I'm even gonna put this out there, but we're recording, so why not? But, you know, there was a point where um I used to smoke a lot of marijuana, like a lot, like to the point where I was at a point where I was literally taking like anywhere from like five to six bong hits in like a day. And for those that dabble in that as well, know that that's some really serious stuff. And it just became a source of my daily, everyday life because of, you know, experiencing it through college. And then, you know, once I continued with it, I reached a point where uh just getting real vulnerable with you guys here, but I reached a point where I smoked so much that I literally was looking in the mirror and I was having a talk with myself, you know, uh, and not just because I was high, but you know, just from the sense of like, bro, like what are you doing? You know, like if you keep this up, you're gonna be exactly where you don't want to be. So you either keep this up and stay in and stay in this comfort zone that you've built, or make a change and do something about it. So I did, and um, you know, I still dabble in it from time to time, but definitely not where uh it used to be. So um, you know, sometimes it does take something as uh dramatic as you know certain habits that um you just start to do on a daily basis at a subconscious level that eventually starts to compound and affect uh your life in a negative way. So how do you break out of that? You don't just change your mindset, you change your environment. And not just your physical environment, like where you live and where you in your home and things like that. It's what you watch, who you're around, what you consume, what you expose yourself to daily. Take some time to think about that. Because small environmental changes lead to big behavioral changes over time, the compound uh effect. Because if you can't change your environment immediately, you can start by expanding it. And for my audience, have you ever realized that something you thought was normal was actually just your environment shaping your standards? Again, have you ever realized that something you thought was normal was actually just your environment shaping your standards? Let me know in the comments, shoot us a message, or just take some time to ponder on it. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode. And as always, no matter what side of the fence you grew up on, we're all more like than we think. My name is Andre Sproul. Catch you guys next time. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode. If this episode resonated with you, go ahead and follow the podcast so you stay tapped in and show some love with that five-star rating. It really goes a long way so we can continue reaching more people just like yourself. And if you want to see these conversations, pull up on YouTube and check out Middle of the Fence. Appreciate you for tuning in. Time is the most valuable thing we got.