You don't want to flow through the river of life, incapable of changing direction or controlling where you go, just going with the flow. No, to be happier, you have to step outside the river onto the shore and walk. I did a modern psychology study, and one idea kept showing up over and over again: the concept of "Locus of Control." Locus of Control refers to an individual's perception of the underlying main causes of events in their life. There's a spectrum of people: external LOC individuals believe that their behavior is guided by fate, luck, or other uncontrollable circumstances, while internal LOC individuals believe that their behavior is guided by their personal decisions and efforts. Let's try an experiment: imagine you just took an exam and failed. Do you blame it on yourself or on external factors? People with an internal LOC would blame it on themselves, while those with an external LOC would blame it on something outside of their control. If you believe that you hold the keys to your fate, you are more likely to take action to change your situation when needed. On the other hand, if you believe that your outcome is out of your hands, you will be less likely to work towards change. This is the idea of LOC. Of course, we can't control everything in our lives. But the idea is that you need to believe that you can always change something in your life. Now, remember, life isn't always perfect. Don't focus on things you can't control, but do focus on the things you can. How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. The one thing you can always control is your mind: how you reason and react to events, and how you can influence your destiny through the choices you make. So, are you in the river, or are you walking on the shore?