Welcome to Motivational Mondays with Mark Kent your weekly Proactive Empowerment Performance (PEP) talk with Mark Kent.
How productive was your week? Were you able to actualize the turbo charged technique Proactive Closure? Did you notice how much more productive you were when utilizing this empowering technique. Were you more effective in thwarting emotionally driven avoidance type behaviours?
Learning the ability to override the emotional brain's tendency to avoid tasks that it does not find appealing is a crucial step towards becoming highly productive and gaining a sense of empowerment over your environment.
Social scientists have known for years that people who tend to be internally driven as opposed to externally manipulated are more consistent and productive and have a higher level of self esteem and confidence to complete tasks.
A simple test called Locus of Control can help you determine whether you are independent from external influences or more influenced by them. So answer these questions according to how you see the world. There are no right or wrong just choose which one you more strongly believe in
#1 a) Many of the unhappy things in people's lives are partly due to bad luck or b) People's misfortunes result from the mistakes they make.
#2 a) In the long run people get the respect they deserve or b) Unfortunately an individual's worth often passes unrecognized no matter how hard they try.
#3 a) Without the right breaks one cannot be an effective leader or b) Capable people who fail to become leaders have not taken advantage of their opportunities.
#4 a) No matter how hard you try, some people just don't like you or b) People who can't get others to like them don't understand how to get along with others.
#5 a) I have often found that what is going to happen will happen or b) Trusting to fate has never turned out as well for me as making a decision to take a definite course of action.
#6 a) When I make plans I am almost certain that I can make them work or b) It's not always wise to plan too far ahead because many things turn out to be a matter of good fortune anyhow.
#7 a) In my case getting what I want has little or nothing to do with luck or b) Many times we might as well decide what to do by flipping a coin.
#8 a) It is hard to know whether or not a person really likes you or b) How many friends you have depends upon how nice a person you are.
#9 a) In the long run the bad things that happen to us are balanced by the good ones or b) Most misfortunes are the result of lack of ability ,ignorance,laziness,or all three.
#10 a) Many times I feel that I have little influence over the things that happen to me. or b) It is impossible for me to believe that chance or luck plays an important role in my life.
#11 a) People are lonely because they don't try to be friendly or b) There's not much use in trying too hard to please people, if they like yo they like you.
#12 a) What happens to me is my doing or b) Sometimes I feel that I don't have enough control over the direction my life is taking.
Now go back and tally up how many internal or external responses you made. Here is the scoring key
#1a- external, b-internal / #2 a-internal, b-external / #3 a-external,b-internal
#4 a-external,b-internal / #5 a-external,b-internal / #6 a-internal, b-external/
#7 a-internal,b-external / #8 a-external,b-internal / #9 a-external,b-internal
#10 a-external,b-internal / #11 a-internal,b-external / #12 a-internal,b-external.
Now add up your total internal and external responses. If you had more externally referenced responses (more than 7) then it's likely you believe in fate ,that you see the universe as somewhat random and unpredictable and cause is not usually related to effect.
If this is true then you may notice you have difficulty staying motivated and imposing your will upon the universe.
To a great extent our philosophy about how the universe operates has a direct impact upon our motivation, attitudes and derived meaning from the events that take place in our lives. Conversely if you had more than 6 internal responses chances are you believe in volition (choice), cause and effect and that you can impose your will and actions to manipulate the external world to effectuate outcomes to your favor
Really it's about making subtle but specific shifts in how you see the universe playing itself out around you that can make a significant impact upon your motivation and ability to be more self directed. So review the questions that reflect the internal locus(pathway) of control and try to adopt a more cause and effect approach to daily tasks and controlling the external environment.
Making philosophical and practical changes in your thinking by becoming more internally driven promotes self initiate motivation free from the sabotaging influences of the prevailing winds of the day.So be mindful of whether you are internally driven or externally manipulated and strive towards becoming more internal locus of control.
Next week I will discuss how tightening up the cause and effect relationship can improve our proficiency in completing tasks and sustaining motivation.
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Once again thanks for this opportunity to serve you.
To your empowerment, productivity,and motivation.
Mark Kent
