The Mindset of Controlling Your Destiny
Who doesn’t want to be the captain of their own ship and the master of their destiny. This is the essence of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Wanting anything less is giving up on life. Yet so few people understand the mindset one needs to control their destiny.
This mindset is the product on what renowned psychologist Albert Bandura explains in his preeminent book as self-efficacy. Bandura’s research shows that you must have self-efficacy to exercise control over the things that affect your life. His research also shows that self-efficacy is not automatic. Instead, it’s common for people to fail at taking control of their destiny.
In other words, the average person let’s things happen instead of making things happen. Unquestionably, the ability to reach your potential depends heavily on your ability to make things happen instead of letting things happen. Therefore, self-efficacy is arguably the #1 mindset you need to be the best version of yourself.
I am not writing this to reveal some mind-blowing secret. In fact, one could argue that this is obvious. However, what’s not obvious is how a lack of self-awareness leads to a lack of self-efficacy. How self-aware are you of your ability to exercise control of your destiny? How often do you visualize a future you desire and then realize that visualization by making things happen? On the other hand, how often do you find yourself caught up in circumstances you feel like you have no control over?
As Bandura states in his research:
The inability to exert influence over things that adversely affect one’s life breeds apprehension, apathy, or despair. The ability to secure desired outcomes and to prevent undesired ones, therefore, provides a powerful incentive for the development and exercise of personal control.
To that end, the mindset of self-efficacy or lack thereof is both a self-fulfilling prophecy and compounding. This means that as you exercise more self-efficacy, you will have more and more success at shaping your future. Conversely, as you exercise less self-efficacy, you will have less and less control over your future.
If you’re struggling with motivation, happiness, or stress, this is where I suggest you start. Take some time to becomes self-aware of how much control you are exercising over your life. Then, find a way to act on this self-awareness.