Last weekend I took a trip to South Bend Indiana where I went to attend, yet another magnificent Notre Dame Football game. The University of Notre Dame creates the perfect setting for the team and the fans to thrive. I believe that because of the effort put into crafting an ideal atmosphere for the players, it is nearly impossible for the Fighting Irish to lose a home game. Let me elaborate. As the stadium rushes into your vision upon arriving, a sea of green, like grass swaying in the wind, fills the stands. Every individual fan, draped in school colors, converges into one unified green ocean of energy. The band strums, toots, and drums out melodies about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the United States of America. They emphasize how remarkable it is to be a free American. Next, the crowd bows their head as we join together to ask Jesus himself for the big W. A crystal clear image of Christ appears on the jumbo screen.

Not only are we now feeling patriotic and connected to God, but then the team, who spent the last night in the Hilton hotel eating lobster and drinking sparkling water, sprints on to the field. The whole stadium vibrates with cheers and whistles. You cannot help but to jump to your feet and join in all the hullabaloo. Even Touch Down Jesus, a mural on the school’s library, extends his arms over the Northern end zone to show his encouragement. I was overwhelmed by emotion and I don’t even like football all that much. When the team scores a touchdown and makes the following extra point, something astonishing transpires.

The student section of fans lift their friends into the air horizontally and they raise them up and down, as if they are doing pushups in the sky. From the opposite side of the stadium you can see young adults floating over the crowd, as if gravity has been momentarily shut off and the laws of physics no longer apply, all because Notre Dame got seven more points. With such heightened emotions and grand gestures, it seems nearly impossible for anything but a win to occur. I believe this is a valuable lesson that can be applied to your own life as well. Create an environment where the most likely outcome is for you to succeed.

I think the most important aspect of constructing your ideal environment is to compose your social groups with likeminded people. The truth is, as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, that our thoughts are not individual from the thoughts of those we surround ourselves with. When you spend three hours discussing life with a pessimistic person, you are likely to highlight topics of sadness and disappointment. If you had spent that same time with someone who, despite the difficulties of life, has a persevering, optimistic attitude, you are likely to adopt a similar outlook.

The best way to attract beneficial people into your life is to become that kind of person yourself, at least most of the time. I sought to find friends who were adventurous, energetic, artistic, and dependable into my life. I took some steps to become this breed of human being myself. I booked two flights and planned out four trips for me to attend by the end of the year. I made it a goal to bike ride, longboard, or roller blade at least once a day. I created this blog, started painting more often, and buckled down in photography. I followed through with all my scheduled plans, no bailing. People around me took notice to these modifications.

All of a sudden I am my friends’ go-to travel partner. I am getting phone calls left and right to come out and hit the trails, collaborate on art projects, and even play tennis, which I never imagined I would be participating in. We tend to gravitate toward individuals who share our own interests. I feel like I am finally connecting and developing relationships with the right kind of people. It is also critical to have the ideal physical surroundings. For example, I aim to only have belongings that help mold me into the best version of myself. I do not own clothing that is too shabby because I will be more likely to look like a bum. I keep my books, guitar, ukulele, record player, and art supplies in my line of vision at all times to spark inspiration. I attempt to keep my room clean, for the most part, because as they say, “Messy bed, messy head.”

Even my car model is representative of my lifestyle goals. I drive a Ford Escape because I can fit my roller blades, longboard, Frisbee, hula hoop, and my tent in the trunk. It is spacious enough to throw a blow up mattress in the back and go for a spur-of-the-moment road trip. Even the name itself, Escape, makes you want to take the scenic route home. My personal belief is that you should not possess any items that do not push you to better yourself. All the other stuff is just clutter for your mind and should be donated, sold, recycled, or in the case of trash, thrown away. Your exterior living space is an extension of your internal environment. If your bedroom looks like shit, there is a high likelihood that your mental state follows the same suit. So make your damn bed. (Mom I’m working on this, don’t call me out.)

The world you experience is shaped largely by how you choose to react to stimuli and who and what you allow into your life. You can choose who your friends are; you can choose what things you own; and you can choose whether or not your focus is on what you have versus what you lack. Retraining your thoughts to be more positive can take years of practice, but throwing away clutter, or putting on a nice outfit in the morning are very simple steps you can take to improving your quality of life. Orison Swett Marden marries these concepts in his quotation, “Your outlook upon life, your estimate of yourself, your estimate of your value are largely colored by your environment. Your whole career will be modified, shaped, molded by your surroundings, by the character of the people with whom you come in contact every day...” Put in the effort to foster a world where you, like Notre Dame, take home the trophy.