Self-determination, Control Your Own Destiny

People with self-determination know what they want, and they focus on the future. They are steadfast and enduring. This does not mean that they do not have their bad days, moments where they get stuck somewhere between insecurity and exhaustion. However, they always manage to recover. Furthermore, they learn from these moments so that they can put new strategies in place.

Albert Einstein said he never saw himself as more intelligent than others. The only thing he felt that differentiated him from other people was that he seemed to spend more time thinking about things he did not understand. In fact, it was the effort and stubborn determination to understand the incomprehensible that assured him of his elevated position in the world of science.

Nevertheless, it is not necessary to be a Nobel Prize winner to develop these abilities. In fact, we all have sufficient resources to become more determined. It is actually this determination that allows you to reach your goals.

Self-determination

Self-determination is an extremely important dimension in psychology. It is the engine that pushes you to make decisions and responsibly map the course through life in accordance with your own values. Yet people with self-determination do not always achieve everything they want. In fact, they sometimes fail.

Self-determination, however, means that they pick up after all. Because self-determination means steadfastness and perseverance. In addition, these people are cognitively flexible and able to come up with suggestions to deal with every problem they face . Let’s look at the characteristics of mentally determined people.

They are governed by inherent motivation

Edward Deci and Richard Ryan proposed the theory of self-determination on motivation in 1985. Later research works have elaborated on this theory. Self-determined people are defined as proactive. Furthermore, they use intrinsic motivation.

This type of people shows three basic dimensions of personality.

• Autonomy. They feel responsible for their own actions and decisions and do not consider them due to external pressure.
• Competence. They are able to achieve their goals.
• Relationship. They feel connected to others, have caring relationships and belong to a community.

They do not have an innate talent, they persevere

Angela Lee Duckworth is an academic, psychologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She wrote a famous book entitled Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Growth. In this book, she described what people with self-determination are like. She based it on various studies.

She discovered the following:

Determined people are not smarter than others. They also do not have a higher IQ. However, they are the most successful. In fact, it seems that the key to self-determination is not an innate talent, but a trained and perseverance-oriented mindset. It is a psychological approach nurtured by motivation, but also by passion. The desire to achieve something. Above all, the feeling that they have control over their own lives.

In Dr. Duckworth’s own words:

Exercise, purpose and hope

You may want to ask the question, can one turn on the determination yourself? Yes you can. You just need to start from the bottom step of the ladder. From there you can look up and find out what you want, what your dreams are, and what you expect from yourself and life.

For example, if you want a better job, find one. If you are looking for a happier life, you need to make changes that will lead you to it. Set goals in line with who you are and how you feel. Then you need to get started, act and put them into practice every second every day. Because when you have a purpose in mind, it ignites hope within you, and that hope never leaves you.

Courage to persevere

To be determined, build your hope and be led by passion… what more do you need to make this ability a lifestyle? Well, it lacks a component from this list that you hear mentioned every day. Resilience. This is the ability to learn from dark times and to rise in the face of adversity. There is another element of self-determination.

It means to be brave. Remember that you are responsible for yourself. You do not have to be dependent on others, and you do not allow yourself to be influenced by the opinions and criticisms of others. In fact , endurance involves a lot of stubbornness. However, it is a healthy stubbornness that learns from mistakes, knows the limitations and can reorient the goals when necessary.

Self-determination is really a powerful ability to have when traveling through life.