Internal and external Locus of Control.

The first recorded trace of the term Locus of Control comes from Julian B. Rotter's work (1954) that was based on the social learning theory of personality. It is a great example of a generalized expectancy related to problem-solving, a strategy that applies to a wide variety of situations in everyday life. Individuals who embrace an Internal Locus of Control choose what they really want, and avoid the temptations confronting them and get over the pains that drive them away from what the really want, and as such are more likely to live successful lives.

Life does of course give you many opportunities to recover from your mistakes, and if you "manage" them well, then you can have a terrific life. Clearly there are of course major influences on the actual quality of your life that come from situations that are beyond your control. For example: the circumstances that you were born into, accidents and illnesses and so on, but I do believe that for the most part even the worst circumstances can in fact be made better with the right approach.

Whatever the circumstances are that life challenges you with, you will be more likely to succeed and find happiness if you take responsibility (own it) for making your decisions well, instead of complaining about external factors that are beyond your control. This is having an "internal locus of control", and research conducted over the years show people who have an internal locus of control outperforming those who don't. So don't stress about whether you like your situation or not. Life seriously does not care about what you like. It is up to each one of us to connect what we want with what we need to get it, and then find the courage to carry it through (deciding on a start-up or Unicorn, but do your research, business plan and identify your available resources first).

Having the ability to look down from a higher level does not just apply to understanding reality, and the cause-effect relationships underlying it; it also applies to looking down on yourself and those around you, including significant others. This "higher-level thinking" gives you the ability to study and actually influence the cause-effect relationship at play in your life and use them to achieve the outcomes desired. So compare your outcomes with your goals, and thereby modify your approach to life. People make the fundamental mistake not to see themselves and others objectively, and this leads them to bumping into their own and others' weaknesses again and again. One does have to also rely on the constructive input of others and the whole body of evidence. Do not confuse what you wish you were with what is really true. Importantly, don't let pain stand in the way of progress, and do not blame bad outcomes on anyone but yourself.

In closing:

1. Have clear and manageable goals;
2. Identify any problems/challenges that prevent you form achieving those goals;
3. Do diagnostics in order to access these challenges in order to get to their root causes;
4. Have planning in place that will assist you in getting around them and
5. Do all that is required to push these designs through to results and achieve your goals.

Prof Rory Dunn.