Attaining internal locus control is a must if you want to live a stress-free life. Step out from the crippling external locus of control and focus on things you can control. By reading this article out, you will get to know ways to develop and improve your internal locus of control. For starters, you should know what is the internal locus of control and why is it important.
Insight into Internal Locus of Control
In the 1950’s Julian Rotter, put forward the term “locus of control.” Internal locus of control is all about the way people feel and interpret the outcomes of various events happening in their life. People with internal locus believes that they have the power to shape their future.
They firmly believe that they control what happens in their lives. They also attribute success to their own efforts. A person having an internal locus is more robust and easily overcome hardships as he believes everything is in his hands. It is all about having a positive and realistic approach.
On the contrary, people with an external locus of control don’t trust their ability to overcome setbacks. They attribute success to their luck. They accept failure and unpleasant events as fate. All they do is depending on other’s decisions and ideas. Above all, they don’t make efforts to shape their future.
Importance of Developing Internal Locus of Control
Just suppose if you always seek help from others in every problem you face. Will you even consider tackling it yourself? The answer is no. And this is because you simply don’t have faith in yourself. Becoming too much dependent on others is what people do when they practice external locus of control.
Erase the word “but” from your dictionary. Be confident and trust yourself. Attain an internal locus of control and breath in the aura of happiness it creates around you. You will be in control of your destiny. And this will ultimately lead to a stress-free and depression-free life.
It won’t eradicate the element of stress from your life but, eventually, you will learn how to cope with it. By recognizing what you can control, you will feel more empowered and will have a realistic approach towards life. Remember that it’s not an inborn characteristic. You have to learn to develop an internal locus.
Understanding the Locus of Control by Examples
Here I will share some examples with you to give you a better view of how the internal locus of control works. Suppose a student appeared in exams. He studied day and night to score good marks.
And he stood first in class. But he lacks an internal locus of control. What will he do? Notably, he won’t give the credit to himself or his tireless efforts. What he will say is: “I just got lucky.”
In contrast to this, consider a person applying for a job. After a few days, he finally got an interview call and got selected. Now, what reaction do you expect? Obviously, he’ll give all the credit for success to himself. He will say: “My abilities and my hard work made it possible for me to secure this job.”
You can take this example the other way round. The part where he didn’t get the job. He won’t blame his luck. He will admit that he didn’t work hard. And, will look for his mistakes to secure a better position for himself.
I hope now you have grasped the basic concept of the locus of control. And why is it necessary to have an internal locus of control.
7 Epic Ways to Improve Internal Locus of Control
Developing an internal locus of control is not enough. To sustain it you have to make efforts to improve your locus of control. I have laid out 7 epic ways for you to enhance your internal locus of control. Practice these ways to learn how you can your internal locus and self-esteem side by side.
Be Done with The Blame Game
Generally, this is what people with a weak internal locus of control do. Blaming others for your mistakes will get you nowhere. To understand this, reflect on the moments that caused you distress. When you reached the office late who did you blame? The time you ran into another car. Was that the fault of the person distracting you?
These kinds of moments are there in everyone’s life. The point here is whom did you blame, instead of admitting your fault. Take charge of the events happening in your life. Believe that you have the ability to shape your future. Luck is just a side-factor.
For improving your locus of control, find moments like this from your past and ponder over them. Verily, you will learn to improve your locus of control by taking responsibility for your actions.
Review Your Options
Whenever you feel trapped in a certain situation. Look for different options or different ways to overcome them. By doing so, make a list of courses you can take. It might take some time. Brainstorm for best ideas and don’t analyze them critically.
This activity will ensure that you are not stuck. You can sneak out of problems by availing any one of the many options you have. You will feel in control of your life even in situations that seem to be set.
Be Mindful of Your Choices
As I said earlier, you will feel empowered by developing an internal locus of control. And when you avoid making a significant choice, actually you put yourself at risk. By doing this, you leave yourself merely in the hand of other people and your fate.
And this can be your downfall as it’s the main hurdle in the way of your success. Respond mindfully to every situation. Notice what you are doing and compel your mind to transform your thoughts into actions. Don’t let your emotions cloud your actions.
Embrace the Failure
Don’t be afraid of failure. Instead, take this as an opportunity to learn new ways to succeed. People with an external locus of control divert their path if they come across a slight chance of failure. This practice will only make it hard for you to reach your goals.
If you want to improve your locus of control, do something endearing. Do activities you know will ultimately result in failure. It might be preparing a 2000-word speech or running 500 miles.
Eventually, you will learn that failure is not a bad thing.
You will learn to accept that you lack at some point. Either because of a bad English accent or maybe there’s something else you need to focus on. Soon you will be on the path for enhancing your internal locus of control.
Control the Controllable
For improving the internal locus of control, it is necessary to focus on things you can control. Dwelling and stressing over things outside the box will upsurge your stress level. Rather than getting stuck in the useless things.
Set your mind that you don’t have control over other people’s behavior. So, instead of pondering over them focus on your own behavior. The only person you have control over is yourself. This will enhance your ability to make choices, which surely is own main goal.
Practice Affirmations
Affirmations may just be mere words. But these words are not trivial. Affirmations have the power to change who you are. They have a direct effect on your mindset and your personality.
If you genuinely desire to cultivate internal locus of control-Affirmations are your best bet. They will urge you to trust your thoughts and ideas. You will learn to be confident and optimistic about your actions.
It is your own choice, how you want to feel. Have a look at these positive affirmations that will help you build a positive mindset.
I am in control of my actions.
I have the ability to shape my future.
I will remain unaffected by all the negative forces around me.
I give meaning to everything around me.
No one can upset me.
I am responsible for what I do, no one else.
It is my choice how I interpret events in my life.
I don’t control the way people think about me.
I am happy, confident, and optimistic about my choices.
I believe there’s more than one way to look at things.
For me, failure is a path toward success.
Focus on Self-Talk
Many people laugh even at the idea of self-talk, but it’s necessary. Knowingly or unknowingly, we talk about ourselves. What you have to do is focus on it. You have to make sure that you are not having negatives thoughts about yourself.
Motivate yourself to have a positive attitude towards yourself. It affects your mind significantly and is linked directly to your stress level. A person having negative thoughts about himself can’t improve his locus of control.
