“Circumstances” Shape People, and “Places” Define Possibility — When Demanded, People Can Give Twice as Much

In this episode, I reflect on how environment shapes who we become — and how we also have the power to shape our own environment.While visiting high schools with my daughters, I was struck by how completely each school’s atmosphere changes the way people act and grow.Philosopher Will Durant once said that “greatness is created by environment,” and that heroes are not born, but made by circumstance. When the situation demands it, even ordinary people can give twice as much.Where we live, who we spend time with, and what kind of places we choose — all of these shape our future. But they’re also choices we can make.Our environment forms us, but we can also choose to change it.Sometimes, simply standing in a new place is the first step to becoming a new version of ourselves.