Source: Training Development Resources/Spheres of Influence — worksheet

A simple three-zone framework for sorting a problem into what's actually actionable:

• Out of my control: what others do, say, and believe; forces of nature; accidents — things that happened to you.
• Within my influence: your perceptions (how you choose to look at something), thoughts, beliefs, and actions.
• In my control: how you use your voice or actions to actually create change.

Guiding questions: What beliefs or actions are within your control to change? Through your words or actions, what can you do to move toward what you want? What do you simply not have control over?

Next-steps prompt: "What concrete action step can I take to address, or begin to address, the problem I've identified?" The worksheet explicitly notes that sometimes there isn't an action that gets you what you want — and in that case, the next-best step might be building acceptance or self-care around the thing you can't change, rather than forcing a solution that doesn't exist. Also flags a common trap: getting stuck hunting for the "best" possible move when a smaller, "good enough" next step is more useful than staying stuck.

Coaching use: quick, low-prep tool for helping a young person stop spinning on something outside their control and redirect energy toward the piece that's actually theirs to move.

Circle of Control (photo of a physical worksheet)

Source: Training Development Resources/Spheres of Influence — handwritten/printed worksheet (@mindfulenough), photographed

A companion version of the same in-my-control / out-of-my-control split, with concrete examples on each side. In my control: my thoughts and actions, what I give my energy to, how I speak to myself, the goals I set, how I spend my free time, how I handle challenges, my boundaries. Out of my control: the outcome of my efforts, the actions of others, the past, the future, the opinions of others, what happens around me, how others take care of themselves, what other people think of me. A more concrete, example-driven companion to the worksheet above — useful to hand to a young person who needs specific examples before the abstract framework clicks.