What Is Locus of Control? How to Stop Feeling Powerless & Take Back Your Life

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What if the biggest limits in your life aren’t your circumstances—but your interpretations?

In this episode of The Full Mental Bracket, Brent and Camille Diggs break down the psychology of the locus of control—the belief system that quietly shapes how you interpret challenges, setbacks, opportunities, and your own capacity for change.

Whether you tend to feel helpless and externally controlled or empowered and internally driven, your locus of control affects your decisions, your emotions, your relationships, and ultimately the story you live.

This conversation blends science, storytelling, and real-life experiences to help you reclaim agency over your thoughts and shift your focus from what you can’t control to what you can.

✅ The difference between an internal and external locus of control
✅ How your interpretations—not events—create your emotional reality
✅ Why shifting your focus builds resilience, meaning, and momentum
✅ How journaling can rewire negative automatic thoughts
✅ How to break out of cycles of blame, rumination, and “comforting fatalism”
✅ How past struggles can evolve into future wisdom, empathy, and legacy

✅ You feel stuck blaming life or circumstances for your problems…
✅ you want to focus on what you can control…
✅ and you’re ready to transform struggles into strength, wisdom, and clarity.

If you’ve ever felt powerless, frustrated, or held back by things you can’t change, this episode gives you practical tools to take back the pen and rewrite your story.

⏳ 00:00 – What Is Locus of Control? (Simple Explanation + Examples)
󠀠󠀮󠁽󠁝󠁝󠁝󠁝󠀠󠀮󠁽󠁝󠁝󠁝󠁝———> A clear intro to internal vs external locus and how it shapes your life.
⏳ 02:58 – Internal vs External Locus of Control Explained
———> Why your focus determines stress, confidence, and emotional resilience.
⏳ 08:43 – How to Stop Ruminating on Unfair Situations
———> Tools for getting unstuck, accepting reality, and regaining mental clarity.
⏳ 10:41 – How External Locus Creates Excuses and Keeps You Stuck
———> Signs you’re giving away your agency—and how to take it back.
⏳ 14:30 – Storytime: When the Police Showed Up For Camille (And What It Teaches Us About Control)
———> A real example of reclaiming agency in a chaotic moment.
⏳ 15:48 – How to Reinterpret Your Past Without Being Trapped by It
———> Psychology-backed reframes for healing old narratives.
⏳ 16:26 – Journaling to Change Your Mindset and Rewire Your Story
———> Prompts and techniques to shift interpretation and emotional patterns.
⏳ 21:20 – Turning Struggles into Strength: How to Build a Legacy of Healing
———> How meaning-making transforms pain into purpose and leadership.
⏳ 25:56 – Key Takeaways + Reflection Questions for Growth
———> Action steps to strengthen your locus of control and reclaim agency.

Full Transcript

If you’re ready to strengthen your locus of control and break free from the mindset patterns that keep you feeling powerless, this episode gives you the tools to start reframing your interpretations and rebuilding your sense of agency.

By focusing on what you can control—your thoughts, your stories, your meaning-making—you create real momentum toward personal growth and long-term change.

Use the insights, journaling prompts, and reframing strategies from today’s conversation to shift from an external locus to a more empowered internal locus, and begin shaping a story you’re proud to live.

• EP011 – Spotlight Effect: How to Stop Overthinking What Others Think
• EP007 – Legacy and Return: A Hero’s Reward – (more on legacy)
• EP008 – Values and Purpose: A Guide to a Meaningful Life – (more on meaning vs suffering)
• Bonus – Test your own locus of control

Listen now

🎧 Listen now to rediscover your agency, rebuild your confidence, and learn how shifting your focus can turn powerlessness into forward momentum.

Subscribe to Full Mental Bracket wherever you get your podcasts, and join us each week for more insights on storytelling, psychology, and personal transformation.