Extracurriculars and Internal Locus: Choosing from Passion

BY NICOLE LAU

The Psychology of Internal Locus: Why Most Suffering is Optional - Module 3: Adolescent Internal Locus Building (Ages 13-18) - Part III: Academics and Future

Extracurriculars - activities outside class like sports, clubs, arts, volunteering. And when your worth depends on impressive resume, extracurriculars become performance. When your value depends on college acceptance, you'll choose activities that look good rather than activities you love. When your identity is your achievements, you'll fill your schedule with resume-builders rather than passion-pursuers. This is external locus creating extracurricular stress - doing activities for college applications, not for joy, overscheduled with things you don't even enjoy.

When your worth depends on impressive activities, you can't choose authentically. You'll join clubs you don't care about because they look good. You'll do sports you don't enjoy because colleges want athletes. You'll volunteer not from desire to help but from need to build resume. And you'll be exhausted, resentful, doing everything except what you actually love.

But here's the truth: extracurriculars should bring joy. When your worth is inherent, you can choose activities you love. When your value is constant, you can do what lights you up, not what looks impressive. When your identity is solid, you can pursue passion, not prestige. This is internal locus extracurriculars - choosing from passion, doing what you love, building life of joy.

External Locus Extracurriculars

When worth depends on impressive resume:

Resume-Building: Choose activities that look good on college applications. Not what you love.

Joyless Participation: Doing activities you don't enjoy. Just for resume.

Overscheduled: Must do many impressive activities. No time for what you actually want.

Leadership for Resume: Seek leadership positions not from desire to lead but from need to impress.

Resentment: Resent activities you're doing. Doing them for wrong reasons.

Burnout: Exhausted from activities you don't even enjoy.

Empty Achievement: Impressive resume but empty life. No joy.

Internal Locus Extracurriculars

When worth is inherent:

Passion-Driven: Choose activities you genuinely love. What lights you up?

Joyful Participation: Doing activities because you enjoy them. Genuine engagement.

Balanced Schedule: Few activities you love beats many you don't. Quality over quantity.

Leadership from Desire: Lead because you want to, not because you need to impress.

No Resentment: Chose activities authentically. Enjoy them.

Sustainable Energy: Energized by activities you love. Sustainable long-term.

Meaningful Engagement: Activities bring joy, growth, fulfillment. Rich life.

Choosing Extracurriculars

How to choose authentically:

1. Your Worth Is Constant: You're valuable whether activities are impressive or simple. Resume doesn't create worth.

2. What Do You Love?: What activities bring you joy? What do you look forward to?

3. Follow Passion: Choose what you're passionate about, not what looks good.

4. Quality Over Quantity: Deep engagement in few activities beats shallow participation in many.

5. It's Okay to Quit: Joined something and don't love it? Can quit. Worth intact.

6. Try New Things: Explore. Discover what you love. Worth not threatened by trying.

7. Balance: Leave time for rest, relationships, unstructured play. Life is more than activities.

The Long-Term Gift

Teenagers who choose extracurriculars from internal locus become adults who:

Build lives around passions. Know their worth isn't their resume. Can pursue joy over prestige. Create fulfilling, meaningful lives. Pass passion-following to next generation.

This is the gift. This is extracurriculars from passion. This is internal locus.

Choose What You Love

This is the message about extracurriculars: Choose what you love. Not what looks impressive. Not what colleges want. What brings you joy. Your worth doesn't depend on impressive resume. You're valuable whether you're captain of debate team or just love reading alone. Do activities that light you up. Pursue passions. Build life of joy, not just impressive achievements. This is your life. Fill it with what you love.

This is internal locus. This is extracurriculars from passion. This is choosing what you love.