There are two types of people, or rather, people can be put into one of two categories. In one group, there are the people who primarily believe that things happen to them, that their fate is inherently out of their control, that luck, circumstance, and the actions of others dictate the way their life is going to play out. In contrast, an individual with an internal locus of control believes that they have the agency, that it is their actions and decisions that change their life. Essentially, those with an internal locus of control believe that they have the power to drive their own destiny. We all exist on a spectrum of how much weight we put on each perspective. This theory was developed by Julian Rotter and you can read a little bit more about it here.
For example, someone who wants to be a singer and has a strong INTERNAL locus of control will believe that by practicing and honing their craft they can become a singer. In contrast, if this wannabe singer has a strong EXTERNAL locus of control, they might see singing as a talent you either have or you don’t have or consider “getting discovered” to be a matter of luck.
So which is better?
Frequently when people are introduced to this way of understanding and internal locus of control is considered to be the “better” perspective to hold. Those that believe in their own agency take responsibility for their circumstances, action, and creating the future that they want to live in. One of my own mentors routinely tells herself to focus on “something that can be done today, by me” to move her business forward. That’s an internal locus of control and it allows her to take ACTION and move her business forward. When you embrace an internal locus of control you step into your power and agency, you own your story.
By contrast, an external locus of control casts you in the role of victim of circumstance. When you embrace the idea that external forces determine your life and how it pans out, you relinquish your power. This mindset invites complacency and reactive action as opposed to proactive action. If you believe that your destiny is fundamentally out of your control, you aren’t responsible to change your life. An external locus of control invites a lack of ownership.
Either end of the spectrum has it’s issues. An exceptionally strong internal locus of control ignores the real factors of privilege, circumstance, luck, and the interconnectedness of our lives, businesses, and communities. If you believe in your absolute agency you can become easily derailed into self-doubt and blame if you do not achieve your aims. A completely external locus of control perspective, will leave you a tumbleweed in the the winds of change, so convinced of your powerlessness that it becomes true.
So as with all things it is a balance. A strong internal locus of control is your friend in the pursuit of impact, success, and mastery. It allows you to take the driver's seat in your own life and take radical ownership over your choices, trajectory, and outcome. And when you allow that to be tempered by just a little bit of faith, a little bit of belief in luck, a smidge of understanding that external forces are at play, you free yourself up to own the power of your agency while avoiding kicking yourself when legitimate outside forces are at play. Mix into your internal locus of control, a healthy respect for the systemic, interconnected way that our world works. An internal locus of control requires some optimism and a growth mindset to mitigate the “all on your shoulders” intensity. When you mix up a cocktail of radical ownership, optimism, systemic thinking, growth mindset, and design thinking, you truly empower yourself to change YOUR world and change THE world.
The starting place is, of course, believing that you have the power.
When you embrace that you are in control of your life, that you are the master of your fate, the world becomes your oyster. There is no more waiting for a miracle, no more excuses, no more “someone come save me”.
You. Make. Things. Happen.
You wake up in the morning and you choose to create the day you want to have, the life you want to have. There is no waiting on others or waiting on the right weather. You know that there is something that can be done, today, by you, to create your future to your own specifications.
Belief in this agency is one of the core tenants in my process. If you don’t believe you can change anything, then the vision, goals, productivity, business planning, all of it, are useless. My clients come to me because they want to create for themselves, their families, their clients, and the world a version of the future that is better, brighter, kinder, easier, more sustainable, more profitable, more balanced and all of that is available to them, to you…
But you need to believe that what you do, the actions you take matter.
You have to believe that you can change, that you can change the world, that you can change the future.
You have to embrace your inherent power.
You have to know down to your core that the choices you make MATTER. The way you move through the world MATTERS.
You have to take ownership, even sometimes where you know there are other forces at work. Because owning your power, owning your agency, owning up to the fact that there is something you can do to move yourself forward, is the ONLY way to create a future that is worth owning.
I talk alot about living life and building businesses intentionally, but no amount of good intentions matter without the ownership and the action to make them happen.
Take that ownership.
Take action.
And make something happen.