Nearly everything in life requires hard work and commitment. To achieve success, we all need to possess a degree of self-control. Self-control and discipline give us the ability to prioritise, to give up on less essential pleasures or activities in order to move forward.
A few lucky individuals are born with a high level of self-control, University of Texas cognitive scientist Art Markman writes in a Psychology Today article. Most people, however, lack the required degree of discipline and they easily give into temptation.
Even if you’re one of these individuals, it’s still possible to develop enough self-control so that you can pursue a career path or a personal goal more effectively. Modifying your environment to address short-term temptations and employing the assistance of loved ones can be excellent techniques for accomplishing your goals.
Why is Self-Control So Important? Self-control is defined as the ability to delay short-term gratification in the pursuit of bigger goals. Thus, an individual has to invest emotional, cognitive and behavioural resources in reaching a certain outcome of preference.
Several reasons determine why self-control is so important in our everyday and professional existence:
An interesting study explored how self-control could affect the life of an individual. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the results of the experiment that traced the life of 1,000 children from birth to the age of 32.
The individuals that exhibited a high level of self-control from childhood years were generally healthier, happier and more professionally-fulfilled than the ones that didn’t. The effects of self-control had nothing to do with the social class of the family or the IQ of the children. Siblings of the children in the experiment who had a lower degree of self-control failed enjoying the same benefits later on in life.
What It Takes to Develop Self-Control Developing self-control can help you with a vast range of goals – from eating healthier foods to finally getting that job promotion. The good news is that you can build self-control and learn how to resist short-term temptations.
To develop self-control, you will need to follow several very important steps:
Your level of self-control will improve over time, especially if you stick to these exercises and practice them on a regular basis. There’s one final thing you need to remember – there is a big difference between exercising self-control and being overly controlling. Allow yourself the chance to enjoy the little things in life every now and then and find your individual balance. The more you learn about your inner strength and willpower, the happier you’re going to be with the process.
Wilma Derksen, C.E.C., O.M.