How much control of you life do you believe you have?  Certainly none of us have complete control.  If we did expressions like “Woman makes plans and God laughs” wouldn’t exist.  Will it rain during your vacation?  You will never know for certain but you can do things to minimize the chance.  For example, you may decide NOT to go to Bermuda during hurricane season.  Will you pass an exam?  You may not control the questions asked but you do control what and for how long you study.  Other things are completely in your control.  Will your bed be made today? Will you exercise for the recommended 30 minutes today?

Some people believe they have great control in their lives and others believe more in fate than control, they are said to have Internal Locus of Control and External Locus of Control respectively.    Some studies show that women more then men believe in External Locus of Control.  If true than it makes sense that women do not negotiate their salary as often as men.  If you don’t believe you can influence the outcome then why would you play the game?

Of course, all women and all men are not created equal.   You can take a quick 13 questions survey to see where your Locus of Control lies.  Ladies with Internal Locus of Control can take the advice of recent research released by Catalyst and promote your achievements loudly and proudly if you want to make career advancements, receive greater compensation, and be happier with your work life.  Ladies with External Locus of Control may be more anxious about touting their own achievements.

Anxiety aside, this is one of those good for you things to do, like the 30 minutes of exercise that was or wasn’t done today.  It may not feel great at first but eventually you will be surprised at how easy it can be.  Since you might feel like a Narc officer from a 1980s teen movie promoting yourself, think of NAARC when deciding what to highlight

• Network of employees, customers, vendors, partners you have brought into the company
• Alignment with the company’s future goals
• Awards and Accolades earned from the company and the industry
• Revenue you’ve helped bring into the company
• Cost reductions you made or influenced

Good luck with Narcing on yourself.  It may take time to completely impact your work life but you could get  in the mood for the release of 21 Jump Street – The Movie.