Click here to download your printable copy!
Internal Locus of Control: A Core Ability of The Extraordinary You
How often—even before we began—have we declared a task “impossible?” And how often have we constructed a picture of ourselves as being inadequate? … A great deal depends upon the thought patterns we choose and on the persistence with which we affirm them. (Piero Ferrucci)
Internal Locus of Control is the topic of our discussion at our Global Center for Spiritual Awakening’s Spiritual Café on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017 from 10:30 to 12 noon at our Durham headquarters (1405 Autumn Ridge Drive – our house).
We believe when you meet with us on Sunday and discuss the Core Ability of Locus of Control in both of its traditional forms: Internal Locus and External Locus – plus a third ‘incredibly powerful’ form that you won’t find in standard psychology texts – that you’ll gain a whole new appreciation for how incredibly extraordinary you really are.
The first question we hear with this Core ability is: What on earth does “locus” mean? Locus is simply another word for a position or location. The concept of Locus of Control was introduced in 1954 by psychologist Julian Rotter. The underlying question regarding the Locus of Control is this: Do I control most of what happens in my life or do external forces beyond my control always determine what happens to me?
This simple idea has profound significance as it influences peoples’ beliefs very strongly. For example:
- Do you believe in Divine Order?
- Do you believe events in your life derive primarily from your own actions?
- If you make all the ‘right decisions’ does that mean you can make you life be exactly how you envision it?
- Do you blame yourself a lot or blame others for missteps or disappointments?
These are only a few questions that determine your Locus of Control.
We’d like to share a story that will serve as a preamble to this post and then say a little more about the nuances of Locus of Control.
We think you’ll agree that children are wonderful, highly intelligent, and creative spiritual beings who deserve the best of what life has to offer! We’re also referring to the child in you. So, we thought we’d share a story about a youngster who learned there was more to him than just a hankering to play cowboys and Indians, doing well in school, playing baseball, and hanging around with a bunch of friends.
He lived in a rural neighborhood that was situated adjacent to an open air incinerator. Some of you may remember those. Dump trucks would back up to them and dump the garbage they had collected to be incinerated.
This youngster, along with his brother and a half dozen neighborhood kids would play near the incinerator every chance they got. Although they had been forbidden to play around it, they saw it as the perfect site for their pretend war games.
The incinerator was surrounded on three sides by a 2-foot high cement wall and a one foot lip in the front. The front section allowed trucks to dump trash into the pit. The kids would kneel behind the walls so they could shoot at each other with their toy rifles. The smoke from the burning debris made a perfect smoke screen for each army to hide behind.
One particular morning, they were gathered around the incinerator’s edge, fully enjoying their war games. Suddenly, the ground’s keeper came running toward them, shouting at them to leave. They were used to his censorship, and enjoyed the challenge of out-running him whenever he appeared.
On this particular occasion, the youngster I’m talking about skillfully dodged the outstretched arm of the ground’s keeper, but left himself little room to negotiate his angle around one section of the incinerator wall.
He tripped over the edge of the wall and, to the horror of everyone present, fell backwards into the incinerator.
A few moments later, those nearest stood in stunned silence as they saw his hands grab the top of the 1-foot high cement lip at the front of the incinerator—a distance of some 15 to 16 feet from where he had fallen backwards into the blazing inferno.
Amazingly, he wasn’t burned at all! He had felt some mysterious force lift him out of belly of the incinerator and carry him to the other side of the fiery furnace.
The kids, who are all adults now, still talk about his incredible levitational feat. He had discovered at an early age that there was more to him – to all of us – than meets the eye.
Comment from Bil: I totally agree with his assessment, because that youngster was me 58 years ago! I revisited the site of my “incinerator miracle” when I was in my mid twenties. The open space of the fixed grate incinerator was 161/2 feet by 161/2 feet. No way could I have leaped across it on my own. Even from a running start as an adult, I couldn’t jump that far.
How a 12-year-old, falling backwards into an open air incinerator in 1959, could have survived such a fall is beyond rational belief, especially because the technology which helps control thermal updrafts and down drafts was in its infancy.
I believed then, and I believe now, that divine beings intervene in human affairs much more often than we think. I came to believe that we all have extraordinary abilities that we don’t know we have, or understand their unlimitedness once we realize we have them.
I believe now that the veil between dimensions of being is merely a consciousness veil. And, in my opinion, the dimensions aren’t separate, but interpenetrate and over-lap each other!
The miracle at the incinerator started me on a lifelong spiritual journey. When you experience something like that, you tend to trust experiential evidence over scientific theories that haven’t caught up yet to anomalous experiences, because measurement systems aren’t in place. And I believe it was Carl Sagan who said, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!”
Ever since that incinerator miracle, I not only believe in our own innate ‘superpowers,’ but in the assistance of spirit guides, adepts and ascended masters. I call them spirit sponsors. And I believe we all have divine sponsorship for what we do down here in skin school.
We—and our children—are products of our environment, genetics, gene expression, karmic baggage, and the choices we make. The secret to our success and happiness is the strength of the alignment between our human self and our Divine Nature.
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children—and each other—is the assurance that we’re all powerful spiritual beings having a human experience.
We must encourage each other to believe in the 7 “Self” attributes: Self-Control, Self-Determination, Self-Reliance, Self-Response.ability, Self-Esteem, Self-Confidence, and Self-Worth. These are all outgrowths of a strong Internal Locus of Control.
The Art of Abracadabra-ing
We must help everyone see that their future is determined by how good they are at abracadabra-ing. Abracadabra-ing is our word for building into each day life-affirming thoughts, words, choices, and actions like: mindfulness meditation, affirmative prayer, positive self-talk, visualization, positive affirmations, proper breathing, OM mantras, and a network of like-minded Truth practitioners as the open sesames to happiness, healing and enlightenment.
People must be reminded that their thoughts, words, choices, and actions lead to life satisfaction or life-subtraction, success or failure, willpower or won’t power, extraordinariness or ordinariness.
Everyone must be exposed to the truth that they are pre-wired for happiness and prosperity, because they are connected at a soul level to the Field of Infinite Potential. Their skin school extraordinariness and success is literally built into their spiritual DNA.
People must be led by your example, when you emphasize that the world’s #1 antiperspirant is Self-Realization!
They must be exposed to the truth that each spiritual thought, every divinely-inspired intention, each act of compassion and kindness, every higher consciousness choice, each unselfish humanitarian act will move them closer to expressing their Divine Nature which is the epicenter for the perfect Locus of Control!
The ‘locus’ in ‘Locus of Control’ means ‘place.’ It refers to our mental real estate. It’s mind over molecules! It’s mind over outer appearances! It’s an inside-out orientation that will help everyone turn his/her incredible potential into reality.
This well-managed Locus of Control describes what psychologists call our True or Authentic Nature. It’s what neuroscientists refer to as our Deeper Self. Philosophers and spiritual teachers call it our Higher Self or Divine Nature. We call it the Extraordinary You, your SuperSelf, your Cosmic Logos Nature.
Self Reflection Tips: Here are some ways to begin strengthening your Internal Locus of Control right away:
- Replace phrases like “I had no choice” and “I can’t do that” with affirmations that claim your inner control, like “This is my choice” and “Here’s what I can do about this.”
- Question any beliefs you have mindlessly accepted as truth, and clarify for yourself what you truly believe and why.
- Recognize that you attach meaning to everything that happens, and become much more intentional about choosing the meaning you give to situations.
- Say “YES!” to change and ambiguity in your life, seeing them as opportunities for exciting adventures of learning and growth.
Taking It To the Next Level
One of the occupational benefits of being progressive metaphysicians and rebellious Unity ministers is that we don’t hesitate dumping dogma and re-languaging traditional terms like ‘Locus of Control!’ For example, Cher and I have changed ‘Locus of Control’ to another, more elevated phrase that’s more in line with our MetaSpiritual teachings.
We’ll share that ‘upgraded’ phrase that takes Lotus of Control to a whole new level with you on Sunday, and we sincerely believe it’ll will help you do what you’ve come here to do—walk the spiritual path on practical, loving, compassionate, enlightened and _______-________ feet! (We’ll fill in the blanks on Sunday)!
“It’s a funny thing about life. If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it!” (Somerset Maugham)
Putting It Into Practice:
Play the game of “Gotcha!” Begin paying attention to the words you say and the thoughts you have. Whenever you hear yourself saying or thinking anything that indicates a belief in an external locus of control, immediately say (out loud if possible and appropriate): “Gotcha!” Then replace whatever you were saying or thinking with one that claims an internal, self-reliant locus of control. Notice the impact this has on you.
We hope you’ll join us for a highly informative discussion this Sunday, Nov. 5 at GCSA Headquarters. Bring a snack if you want—we’ll supply the coffee, tea and hot chocolate—and plenty of ‘soul food.’