Here’s a nice, concise definition of effective: successful in producing an intended desire or result.
I like this definition because it includes both desired outcomes and objectives. Creating a consistently satisfying and meaningful life is a process of effectively identifying and pursuing desired outcomes by setting and accomplishing relevant objectives, such as goals.
There are a number of factors that contribute to your effectiveness. One of them is your belief in yourself as an effective person in your own life. Another, and equally important, factor is awareness of the limits of your effectiveness. The first is called locus of control and the other is called personal agency. They are similar, but they are definitely not the same.
Locus of Control
Having an internal locus of control means you believe you are the prime mover when it comes to the outcomes of your life. You operate in the world intentionally, having determined what is important and meaningful to you, and expect that what you do will make a difference.
Having an external locus of control means you believe fate, luck, or other uncontrollable external circumstances determine the outcome of your life more than you do. You are at the effect of what happens to you, so you take fewer actions on your own behalf or are not surprised if your actions don’t produce the results you want.
Locus of control operates along a continuum: no one has a completely internal or a completely external locus of control. Although locus of control tends to be relatively consistent (stable) within individuals—similar to a personality trait such as introversion or extraversion—like a personality trait, it can shift (or be shifted) toward one end of the spectrum or the other.
Veering too far toward the external end of the continuum can lead to feeling powerless or victimized. Veering too far toward the internal end can lead to a delusional sense of power and/or self-blame.
If you have a primarily internal locus of control, you are likely to have greater confidence, motivation, and perseverance and to be more successful in creating a satisfying and meaningful life. That doesn’t mean things never happen to you. It just means you don’t view your life as being determined solely by those things.
Personal Agency
While operating along a continuum similar to locus of control, personal agency is situation-dependent. It is less stable and more reactive to each individual situation or action. It might seem that the stronger your sense of agency is, across a variety of situations, the better off you are. But that isn’t necessarily the case.
In reality, your sense of agency isn’t always accurate. The degree of agency you feel you have is not an infallible reproduction of objective reality.* And since personal agency is situation-dependent, it’s actually much more important to develop a reliable sense of personal agency than it is to develop a strong sense.
Two factors to take into consideration are (1) how much control do you have in the situation in question and (2) what level of personal agency are you operating at?
Degree of Control: Some things are within your control and some things are not. And the degree of control you have in other areas varies considerably. Determining how much control you have in a given situation can help you develop a reliable sense of personal agency by prompting you to take appropriate action that is likely to be effective instead of ineffectively beating your head against a wall trying to affect things you have no control over.
Level of Personal Agency: You can identify what you’re doing as either low-level (what) identifications that focus on the specific steps you’re taking or high-level (why) identifications that focus on the desired outcome you’re aiming for. The more you tend to identify with what you’re doing rather than why you’re doing it, the weaker your sense of agency will be.
That’s another reason it’s so important to identify what you really want and align your actions in that direction.
There are definitely times when it’s appropriate to identify with what you’re doing, but losing track of why makes you more susceptible to distraction and impulsive or unplanned behavior based on cues and pressures in the immediate situation. If you’re aware of why you’re doing something, you’re more likely to maintain your focus and less likely to succumb to situational pressure.
I’ve printed business-size cards for my clients as a reminder to keep asking themselves:
What do I need to know, pay attention to, and practice in order to develop a reliable sense of personal agency?
The more reliable your sense of personal agency is, the more likely you are to have a primarily internal locus of control.
*What Is the Sense of Agency and Why Does It Matter? James W. Moore, Frontiers in Psychology