Why Does “I Can Succeed” Create a Change Trap?
High self-efficacy and an internal locus of control lead people to attribute outcomes to their own ability—even when luck played a role. This fosters the mistaken inference, “I’m successful because I behave this way,” obscuring behaviors that succeed only in spite of themselves.
Metaphor
Believing “I can succeed” is like thinking your old umbrella kept you dry in a storm, when in fact the wind just happened to blow the rain away. The shared trap is mistaking coincidence or circumstance for proof that your tool or behavior is what worked.
At work, this mindset locks people into repeating habits that only look effective, blinding them to the luck or context that made success possible.
Works Consulted
In addition to any sources cited above, the following works informed my thinking: (1)