Your locus of control determines how you think about your fate. To empower yourself for success, employ an internal locus of control.
Identifying Your Locus of Control
If you have an internal locus of control, you believe your actions, thoughts, and attitude usually controls your destiny. You think the law of attraction affects your goals: if you can see it, you can achieve it. You control your fate.
If you have an external locus of control, you believe your destiny is mostly controlled by external forces such as luck, God, the gods, or fate. Whether you lose the weight or make a brilliant investment depends on practically everything under the sun – except you. This isn't a good success strategy.
Success Strategies to Achieve Your Goals
Julian Rotter was a clinical psychologist who found that people behave differently if they have an internal versus an external locus of control. For instance, people who think their success at a test or game depends on their own skill (internal locus of control) are more likely to work harder and improve their abilities. People who believe their success depends on random chance (external locus of control) don't work as hard to improve.
Rotter made it clear that your locus of control is what you believe usually happens. Sometimes the situation dictates the outcome and you have little or no control at all! For example, if you fail a test, it could have been problems with the test itself (a biased or unfair test) – which means the amount of your control isn't obvious. Rotter suggested that everyone has a general disposition or locus of control that they often fall back on. Their locus of control assigns power to either their own selves or the external world. Their locus of control can empower them for success or set them up for failure.
Locus of Control in Men Versus Women
Research shows that males tend to be more internally oriented than females. Men tend to believe their success strategies are based on themselves. Older people tend to have an internal locus of control as well – and so do people in more advanced professional situations, such as managers or corporate heads. It makes sense: they've realized that the success strategies they've used to achieve their goals are based on their own efforts. Managers or CEO's may be better at empowering themselves.
The Benefits of an Internal Locus of Control
At first it may appear that an internal locus is a more desirable success strategy, but it's not always the case. Sometimes people with internal locuses are anxious, neurotic and depressed. They don't feel competent or effective, and perhaps their circumstances keep spiraling downward (they gain instead of lose weight, or lose instead of earn money in their investments). If people with internal locuses of control don’t adopt a healthy perspective on reality, they could start to see themselves as failures. They could start to believe they're dumb, incompetent, or even worthless if they keep attributing every blip in the road to their own skills or talents. People with internal locuses of control don't always empower themselves.
The Benefits of an External Locus of Control
And, sometimes people with external locuses of control are more relaxed, easy-going, and even happy. They don't fret over their own abilities. People with external locuses of control accept life as it comes and let the chips fall where they may. Maybe they feel lucky, maybe they don't -- but they usually accept whatever life gives them. People with external locuses of control may empower themselves in a different way.
As with almost everthing in life: if you're content with your success strategies, then you don't have to worry about changing your locus of control. But if you want new success strategies to achieve your goals, then it may be time to consider how your locus of control changes your life. Whether you're dealing with rejection or starting a new relationship with a new lover, you can change how you empower yourself for success.
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Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen - Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen is a full-time writer and blogger in Vancouver, BC, and the creator of the Quips and Tips blog series.
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