Locus of Control

I had the opportunity to take a Locus of Control assessment two years ago as part of an internship I was doing with the Leadership Studied Department at the University of Northern Iowa. When I took it then I had a four, a generally low score, indicating an internal locus of control. Taking this assessment again in my senior year, I received a 1. I think this score adequately reflects myself and the situations I have been through.

I have pushed myself to achieve what I thought was never possible. I have received two promotions, successfully restructured a campus organization, joined a regional board of directors for the largest student run organization in the world and taught myself how to use a website using Dreamweaver. I was fortunate enough to receive a pin honoring my hard-work and dedication, and people said you're the lucky one. I told them I wasn't; I was the dedicated one, that one that says that if a little effort goes a long way.

I don't gamble and I have never played the lottery (well pull tabs, but it was about the fun noise they make when you pull the tab), I don't believe in luck, or if people do "get lucky" it's their way of saying they got a handout they didn't deserve. I think that when people put in hard-work, they get returns. For society today that return is money and only money, but I disagree with that. After pushing oneself to accomplish a task or working hard at work, there's that sense of satisfaction; that sense of satisfaction carries over beyond the task that one is doing and affects that person's entire life. I think this shift in attitude because of one's accomplishments make up most of the "luck" that people are talking about.

I feel that my low score on the Locus of Control assessment also relates back to John Mayer's Waiting on the World to Change. I feel that the ones that sit around and are "waiting" would be the ones that would score higher on this assessment. They are the ones that are "unlucky" enough to be living in a time where they have no control over their outcomes. I however believe the words on a magnet given to me by my advisor right after being sworn in as President of the Residence Hall Association at UNI "I am fairly certain that given a cape and tiara, I could save the world." This isn't because I need to be a superhero, but because I have an internal locus of control and belief that people are responsible for their surroundings.