“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better do better.”
Day 25 Morning Scorecard and Life Questions:
Locus of Control: Who’s in Charge
There are two main ways people navigate the world. The first group views life through an “external” locus of control, attributing their success and failures to luck or fate. Overall, this group views events in their life as mostly out of their control. The other group views life through an “internal” locus of control, where success and failure are conceptualized as happening due to the individual's efforts and abilities. There are upsides and downsides to each filtered worldview, but overall it seems people with an internal locus of control tend to put more effort into learning and building a future. People in the external group may be able to shrug off failures as not their fault more easily, but simultaneously this doesn't allow them to see how they can improve the situation. This may be why people with an internal locus of control tend to get better-paying jobs, be in better health, and report less psychological stress. The external group seems to be more passive and at the mercy of what life throws at them, while the internal group is more active in interpreting events through a "what can I do" approach. Overall, both groups can succeed in life but someone with an internal locus of control may exhibit higher levels of self-confidence because they see a connection between their actions and future consequences.
FACT: Your upbringing shapes your locus of control, but it is possible to switch to the other worldview.
TAKEAWAY: The brain is constantly adapting to new information based on a cost/benefit analysis of what has and hasn't worked for you in the past.
Broken Windows: When Small Leads to Big
There is a theory in criminology that if you fix all the broken windows in a poor neighborhood, crime rates will go down. The thought behind this theory is that small signs of disrepair lead to bigger episodes of destruction. The psychology of the theory is that people give themselves permission to go further down a road if momentum is pushing them in that direction. For instance, if an area is not kept clean people are more likely to litter. The opposite being that if an area is kept tidy, people are more likely to respect the area and act like stand-up citizens. New York City and several other metropolitan areas have implemented this theory with great results. So if it works in big cities I bet it will work for you and your living room as well. Hopefully, with a clean house, your mind is free to focus on moving your life forwards and away from the mess in the corner. So start to focus on the small things in your life that influence your overall well-being. For instance, take two minutes to make your bed in the morning, keep your haircut well maintained, and declutter your working space.
FACT: Your brain can only take in 120 bits of information at any one time. The sound of someone’s voice takes up 60 bits of information.
TAKEAWAY: If you have a dirty or unkempt living arrangement. Your daily “attention allotment” will be taken up by the things that need to be done around you and you won’t have any time to focus on more important matters.
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”