Locus of Control

I often have occasion to talk with clients about locus of control. That is, “what are the things I can control, and what are those things I cannot.” There are times that we feel things are out of our control, even though they really are in our control. Conversely, there are times we feel that we can control certain things (like other people’s attitudes and behaviors), that we cannot.   

I recently spoke with a client who said that she knows she needs to address her marijuana use, but said that she is not ready now. She seemed to suggest that there would be circumstances that would arise later that would help her to make that decision. Things like that she would eventually grow weary of using, or her supplier would stop being there, or that she would feel more inclined to quit at a later time.

I pointed out that these were simply ways of putting off something that was currently under her control- a decision to stop. If she waited too long, she might lose that level of control. For example, her employer may fire her, and the decision she could have made earlier now carries an additional huge burden -unemployment. Indeed, paradoxically, that could be a trigger to use more!

As I have said in the past, anything that we put off, we pay back with interest. Bills, decisions, health issues- all those things cost more when we put off the uncomfortable present for the possibly devastating future.

Today is the day for the hard decisions we have been postponing. We might have to pay later with costly interest.

Prayer: Today is the day God have given us to make healthy choices, Amen