Creating Positive Life Changes Starts With A Strategy
Creating meaningful, positive life changes is much like planning a road trip—you need a clear destination, a reason for your journey, a timeline, and a strategy for reaching your goals. This is where the concept of Locus of Control comes into play. If you believe your progress is driven by your own skills and a well-thought-out strategy for change, you are operating with an Internal Locus of Control (LOC), a key concept in Social Learning Theory (SLT). Conversely, if you credit success to good luck or the actions of others, you are functioning with an External Locus of Control.
Research has consistently shown that those with an Internal LOC tend to achieve greater success across various aspects of life. With the Mulry Method’s 5 Steps to Internal Locus of Control, you’ll gain the tools and strategies needed to take control of your life, set actionable goals, and navigate your journey with confidence and focus. Let’s explore these five powerful steps and discover how they can help you create lasting, positive change.
Step 1: Define The Problem
The more precise your understanding of a concern, the more likely you are to engage in constructive problem-solving behaviors. This is where the Personal Concerns Inventory (PCI) becomes invaluable.
What Is A Personal Concern?
In the context of Social Learning Theory (SLT), a personal concern is any issue or challenge that influences your behavior, learning, and development. These concerns are often shaped by a combination of internal thought processes and external social influences, including past experiences, observations of others, and environmental factors.
SLT views personal concerns as internal conflicts often rooted in negative expectancy, which can be expressed in two main forms:
- High expectancy for unfavorable outcomes:
Example: “I fully expect to lose the job I love.” - Low expectancy for favorable outcomes:
Example: “I don’t expect to get the job I might apply for.”
Both examples reflect negative anticipation, which can prevent you from taking Focused Action and achieving success. Negative expectations can be particularly harmful when they are based on objective reality—such as not expecting to land a job as a rocket scientist without the necessary training in physics. When you anticipate failure, even in realistic situations, it often leads to inaction, avoidance, and reinforced negative outcomes.
The Role Of Neuroception
In Polyvagal Theory, a key part of Positive PERFORMANCE Psychology (PPP) Self-Learning, you’ll encounter the concept of neuroception—the body’s subconscious ability to detect safety or danger without conscious thought. This process is like an internal alarm system, alerting you to potential threats through physical sensations.
When negative expectancies (cognitive beliefs) combine with negative neuroceptions (gut-level responses), they often lead to avoidance, hesitation, and self-defeating behaviors.
Example: Imagine you’re preparing for an important presentation, but you believe you’ll perform poorly (negative expectancy). At the same time, you experience physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweaty palms, or a queasy stomach (negative neuroception). These combined signals can create a feedback loop of anxiety, making you feel overwhelmed and less likely to perform at your best.
By addressing both your mental expectations and physical responses, you can break this cycle and approach challenges with greater confidence.
Why The PCI Is Essential
The Personal Concerns Inventory (PCI) helps break the cycle of negative expectancies and gut-level responses by enabling you to identify and prioritize your Primary Concern. When you’re caught in this cycle, uncertainty and self-doubt can prevent meaningful progress. The PCI presents over 1,000 possible personal concerns, giving you a structured way to pinpoint what’s holding you back and where to focus your energy. This process takes about 20 minutes and provides the clarity needed to set clear goals, take focused action, and disrupt the pattern of avoidant or self-defeating behaviors.
Benefits Of Defining The Problem
- Find Your Focus: Narrow down your primary concerns to eliminate distractions.
- Overcome Indecision: Gain clarity to move past uncertainty.
- Create a Winning Strategy: Develop actionable plans for success.
- Use the Power of Mindfully Directed Attention: Direct your energy toward meaningful goals.
- Succeed through Focused Action: Take deliberate steps to create lasting change.
With your Primary Concerns clearly identified using the PCI, the next step is to address the emotional and physiological responses that can reinforce the cycle of avoidance and self-doubt. By stabilizing your emotions and calming your nervous system, you’ll break free from negative patterns and be better equipped to approach your concerns with clarity, focus, and confidence—ready for effective, goal-oriented action.
Step 2: Calm Nerves
Emotions are not just mental experiences—they are physiological events felt throughout your body. To effectively manage your emotions, you must address their physical presence. This is where Relaxation Therapy (RT) offers critical support for achieving emotional balance.
Activate Your Parasympathetic Nervous System
Relaxation Therapy engages your parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” system. This system helps you counteract the effects of stress and restore balance to your body and mind.
How RT Works
RT stimulates activity in the Vagus Nerve, which releases Acetylcholine—a neurotransmitter often referred to as your body’s natural tranquilizer. This physiological response calms your nervous system, stabilizing your emotions and preparing you for focused action.
Benefits Of Deep Relaxation
Twenty minutes of Relaxation Therapy can:
- Stabilize Emotions: Balance emotional responses and ease stress.
- Promote Mental Clarity: Clear away troubling or distracting emotions.
- Enhance Focus: Sharpen concentration and prepare your mind for effective goal-setting.
Get Ready For Action
By calming your nerves and restoring emotional balance, you create the ideal foundation for thoughtful decision-making and strategic planning. Relaxation Therapy clears the mental fog, empowering you to tackle your goals with renewed clarity, confidence, and focus.
Step 3: Set Goals
The first step in effective goal-setting is to precisely identify the issue you want to address. Since you’ve already completed the Personal Concerns Inventory (PCI) in Step 1, you now have a clear understanding of your primary concerns. These insights are the foundation for creating well-defined goals.
For example:
I am drinking too much, which means I am now drinking six drinks a day and want to reduce that to two.
The PCI results eliminate vagueness and provide clarity about your core issues, which many people lack. Without this clarity, most people set general, poorly defined goals and make little progress. With your primary concerns identified, you can now move forward with creating precise, actionable goals that drive change and deliver results.
The Danger Of Undefined Goals
Many people live without clearly defined goals, leading to:
- Illusions of control: A false sense of having a handle on what they want.
- Lack of action: Without clear objectives, little progress is made.
- Emotional turmoil: Confusion about priorities creates perpetual stress and uncertainty.
Transform Goals Into Action
By setting precise goals, you:
- Clarify Your Priorities: Understand what you want and why it matters.
- Eliminate Confusion: Replace vagueness with actionable steps.
- Achieve Focused Action: Take deliberate, effective steps toward resolving personal concerns.
A Strategic Approach
Goal-setting is not just about identifying what you want—it’s about creating a clear strategy to achieve it. Take the time to define your goals and align them with focused actions to build momentum and achieve lasting change.
Step 4: Focused Action
Focused Action is the strategy you develop and execute to achieve your goals. This step emphasizes precision and decisiveness, leaving little room for hesitation or uncertainty.
With your primary concerns identified and your goals clearly defined, it’s time to turn plans into purposeful action. Whether you’re forming a new habit, completing a task, or tackling long-term objectives, success depends on staying consistent, intentional, and resilient.
By dedicating yourself fully to the process, you transform aspirations into tangible outcomes. Each step you take builds momentum, reinforcing your commitment and bringing you closer to meaningful success.
Step 5: Measure Progress
Tracking your progress is essential for achieving personal growth and long-term success. The journey comes full circle, starting where you began in Step 1 by using the Personal Concerns Inventory (PCI) to measure your concerns. Now, it’s time to revisit the PCI to assess the progress you’ve made.
If your goals are well-defined and supported by a clear, Focused Action Plan, you should see steady improvement. The “This is Me!” report reveals how you feel about your progress, and your PCI self-ratings will decrease as your level of concern diminishes.
Be Honest With Yourself
Honesty is key. To truly benefit from this process, you need to be truthful about what’s working, where challenges remain, and whether adjustments are needed. By addressing reality head-on, you ensure that you are making effective progress.
As always, remember: You become what you do. Committing to the necessary actions is the path to meaningful change. Let your self-assessments guide you, providing an authentic reflection of your growth and success.
Why Measuring Progress Matters
- Accountability: Stay on track and correct course when necessary.
- Motivation: Seeing improvement builds momentum for continued action.
- Results: What gets measured is what gets done—measuring ensures you’re achieving real outcomes.
By regularly evaluating your progress, you reinforce positive behaviors and make room for further growth.
How Internality Shapes Rewards And Achievements
Research consistently shows that those with an Internal Locus of Control (LOC) excel in various aspects of life. Here’s how Internals come out ahead:
- Greater Life Satisfaction: Internals experience more happiness, well-being, and overall fulfillment.
- Career and Cognitive Success: They achieve higher earnings and demonstrate superior mental agility.
- Healthier Habits: Internals maintain positive behaviors and take ownership of their health.
- Resilience and Adaptability: They recover quickly from setbacks and turn challenges into opportunities.
- Creative Problem-Solving: Internals approach obstacles with innovation and confidence.
- Effective Leadership: They lead with empathy, strong decision-making, and emotional intelligence.
- Self-Discipline and Control: Internals exhibit strong self-regulation, reducing negative outcomes.
Numerous independent researchers have explored locus of control (LOC) through thousands of scientific articles, documenting its significance. Between 1965 and 1975, LOC research was among the most-cited topics in psychology, emphasizing its pivotal role in human performance. For further insights on the history and applications of LOC, explore this comprehensive overview of Locus of Control.
One major conclusion stands out: Internals consistently outperform Externals, and the key to achieving success, especially in academic and personal growth, is being internally motivated. That’s precisely the objective of our comprehensive self-learning content.
In an ideal world, everyone would be internally motivated.
Self-Learning And The Power Of Internal Locus Of Control
The Mulry Method unites neuroscience with actionable strategies grounded in the empowering principle: “We Become What We Do.”
Successful Self-Learning requires more than wishful thinking—it involves clarity, planning, and taking deliberate action. Internals understand this and rely on their ability to define objectives, create actionable plans, and take consistent steps toward success.
Internals understand the power of self-driven success:
- Define objectives: Know exactly what you want to achieve
- Create actionable plans: Set steps toward your goals
- Take focused action: Commit to consistent, meaningful progress
True growth and resolution don’t rely on the actions of others or external luck—they start with you. Every decision, every strategy, and every action brings you closer to success. By taking ownership of your progress, you can transform challenges into opportunities for growth.
Remember:
The key to success lies within—you become what you do. By embracing focused action as your guiding principle, you unlock the potential to create a fulfilling, purposeful life driven by intentional growth and meaningful achievements.