We should be improving ourselves for ourselves

We should be improving ourselves for ourselves.

But for most people, that’s not going to work because it requires an inner locus of control.

An inner locus of control occurs when a person is internally motivated and directed.

The majority of people are not internally motivated or directed; they are externally reactive. They react to the world around them on instinct.

They don’t think much; they emote after the fact, but they move solely on instinct.

The externally reactive are moving away from something bad or painful, seeking to survive. They find their motivation in avoiding fear and pain instead of embracing joy.

These externally motivated people need to be improving for someone or something else. They must go with the flow. They cannot function without external systems of motivation and control, such as the government, church, boss, and other social hierarchies. They are cogs in a wheel, and they like it that way.

This works very well when we live in a high-trust, homogeneous, righteous, and virtuous society that has our best interests at heart. Too bad we gave that all up for diversity and more GDP.

The internally motivated person is always moving towards something better, seeking to thrive. They can set their own inner state and swim against the prevalent currents of society. The system cannot force them to comply and instead must invite them to cooperate in reciprocal exchange.

These few with an inner locus of control are the only free people on the planet. They are the only ones fully capable of being all that a human can be. They are the true aristocrats—the best of us.

DM me if you would like to develop of strengthen your inner locus of control. I will teach you how.