Leading self is the idea of taking charge in your life; leading yourself on this journey to career development and employment. Throughout this section we’re going to talk about different ways you learn about yourself and lead yourself.
Locus of control
‘Locus of control’ refers to how much control one believes they have over their life.
Do you believe your destiny is controlled by yourself or by external forces? Do you believe your choices and decisions shape your future, or is it determined by things you have no control over, such as fate, luck or god?
Those who believe they control their lives have an ‘internal locus’, and those believe they don’t have an ‘external locus’.
Watch the video below to see how one’s locus of control impacts their motivation.
Internal Locus
Active
I make things happen.
- I control my life.
- I have the power to determine my future.
- The decisions and choices I make shape my life
- My attitude, habits and behaviours have, and continue to influence my life path.
External Locus
Passive
Things happen to me.
- External forces (fate, luck, religion) control my life.
- My future has already been determined.
- The decisions and choices I make have no impact on the outcomes in my life.
- Whatever was meant to happen will happen.
Studies have shown that people with an internal locus of control:
- Are healthier than people with an external locus of control
- Have better mental and physical health
- Rely less on medical care (Kesavayuth, Poyago-Theotoky & Zikos, 2020)
- Have a higher level of job satisfaction (Tran, 2021)
- Less likely to be energy poor and unable to afford utilities such as electricity and gas (Churchill & Smyth, 2021)
You can orient more towards an internal locus on control by actioning many of the concepts covered throughout this section. These include:
- Recognise the impacts of your decisions and behaviours. Self-awareness is key to noticing patterns in your behaviours, as well as the impacts of your decisions. Even the smallest choices can significantly influence our lives – take time to notice them.
- Pay attention to self-talk. Move through the three steps:
- Notice when you say things such as ‘there’s nothing I can do’ or ‘it was always going to happen’.
- Challenge it by asking yourself ‘if this true?’
- Change it to something that empowers you to take ownership and action over your life.
- Recognise the impacts of your decisions and behaviours. Self-awareness is key to noticing patterns in your behaviours, as well as the impacts of your decisions. Even the smallest choices can significantly influence our lives – take time to notice them.
- Set goals. By defining and goal you want to achieve and establishing an action plan, you’ll realise how much direction you have over where you’re headed.
An internal locus of control will empower you to take charge of your life.
References
- Churchill, S. A., & Smyth, R. (2021). Locus of control and energy poverty. Energy Economics, 104, 105648.
- Kesavayuth, D., Poyago-Theotoky, J., & Zikos, V. (2020). Locus of control, health and healthcare utilization. Economic Modelling, 86, 227-238.
- Tran, D. B. (2021). Locus of Control and Job Satisfaction in Australia: The Mediating Role of Job Perception. Journal of Behavioral and
- Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), 95(C).