Picture this: Quentin Tarantino, back in his 20s, working at a video store in Torrance, California. His dream? To make movies. But his reality? Hanging out with mates, watching films, and being pretty chill. “I was happy enough,” he admits. Then, one day, his roommate Steve-O had a wake-up call for him. He’d spent years working at jobs surrounded by people just like him—people who weren’t actually chasing their dreams. That’s when Tarantino realized he wasn’t living his dream, just adjacent to it.
This moment of clarity led him to a major life shift. He moved to L.A., networked, got into the movie business, and a year later, he was working as a scriptwriter. No longer “movie-adjacent,” Tarantino was living the dream.
So, what does this have to do with psychology? Enter Kurt Lewin, the psychologist who, in 1936, came up with the formula B = f(P, E). Basically, behavior (B) is a function (f) of the person (P) and their environment (E). In simple terms: where you are, who you’re with, and what you’re doing shapes how you behave. Want to change? Change your environment.
Lewin’s formula explains why we act differently in different settings. Take me, for example. Put me in a business meeting, and I’m all professional. But drop me in a braai with old mates from school, and I’m a different person entirely. Environment matters.
So, if you’re thinking of starting a business or making a big life change, here’s the takeaway: you can change yourself, or you can change your surroundings—or both. Tarantino changed his environment. He surrounded himself with people who were making movies, not just watching them. And boom, success.
Want to drink more water? Put the bottles right in front of you. Want to start a side hustle? Hang out with entrepreneurs. Change your environment, and your behaviors (and success) will follow.
Tarantino’s story proves it: if you want to be more successful, start by changing where and who you spend your time with. It’s science, and it works.