Zone of Control

Intro

There’s so much in this world out of our control, so the ability to focus on what is under your control is an essential mindset skill to maximize your time and energy.

It takes practice distinguishing what we have 100% control over. There are things we have no control over (such as the weather or other people’s opinions and behavior) and others where we feel we have some control but do not (such as promotions at work or vacation plans).

The truth is, there are only a few things in our control: our thoughts, our effort, our attitude, and our actions. Identifying the things you have in your control before any high pressure environment is a proven, powerful tool to perform at your best.

Before a big moment, an interview, a game, a hard conversation, your mind races through everything that could go wrong, most of it outside your hands. That spin drains you and changes nothing. Locus of control is the trainable skill of separating what is actually yours to influence from what isn't, then putting your energy into the first and letting go of the rest. In this exercise you'll map that split for whatever you're facing right now, so you walk in focused on what you can actually move, and show up as your best self when it counts.

Instructions

1. Pick one area of your life you want to show up as your best and perform well.Name it in a few words, such as ‘tomorrow’s big client call’ or ‘my date on saturday’.
2. List 3 things that are 100 percent in your control.Identify the thoughts, level of effort, attitude, or actions you can focus on. For example, ‘prepare 3 questions, deep breathing before, be curious about them.'
3. What is outside your control that you will release.Name at least one you usually focus on that adds unnecessary stress. For example, ‘their opinion of me’.
4. Write a commitment to refocus for yourself.Come up with a sentence you can say to return to your zone of control. For example, ‘back to breath’ or ‘curiosity is the key’.