Let me begin by asking a simple question.
As a kid, how often did you resist eating that favourite chocolate cupcake of yours that was lying right in front of you? Or, as an adult, how often do you resist watching Netflix? If you answer that you’ve somehow always found it hard to resist your cravings, you are low on self-control. Let me put it into perspective. If you are low on self-control, it means you find it hard to delay your immediate gratification because of the way your brain has been wired since childhood.
Humans seek pleasure and avoid pain, which is why they succumb to their temptations. But, at the same time, I would say it is humanly possible to not let your temptations affect you, as the adage goes- revolutions don’t begin on the battlefields, they begin in the mind. This implies that you need to have such strong control over your mind that nothing tempts you enough.
It’s on you to exercise self-control; nobody else can help you work on your mind; it is you who has to take action. So, the next time you feel like watching a series, for instance, you need to remind yourself that this action of yours will have consequences that you won’t be able to fix later.
On the other hand, self-control can be extremely rewarding; it can help you stay focused and achieve a lot in less time because of the absence of distractions .
2 hours of focused work breeds more quality than 8 hours of work with distractions.
The power of self-control has been empirically proven in the past by several researchers. One of the classic psychological experiments is the Marshmallow experiment which was conducted by a Stanford professor in 1972. Let’s dive deep into what this experiment was all about and what it
teaches us about the power of self-control.
The experimenter began by bringing a couple of four-year-old into a room, sat them down, and placed a marshmallow in front of them. He told the children that he was going to leave the room and that if they did not eat the marshmallow while he was away, they would be rewarded with a second marshmallow. However, if they decided to eat the first one before the experimenter came back, then they would not get a second marshmallow. Some fourteen years later, the children who had eaten the marshmallow right away were compared with those who hadn’t. To the researchers’ absolute surprise, those who had waited for the second marshmallow fared better in their lives. Also, it was found that they were less likely to fall apart under stress.
This experiment parallels neatly the trajectories of two groups of children, thereby bearing testimony of the benefits of being able to say no to an impulse.
You can see the power of self-control playing out in your everyday lives, either visibly or subtly.
If you delay your gratification of checking your social media (We advise you to delete it), you’ll get more things accomplished. If you delay your gratification of having junk food, you will eat healthier. There are countless such examples. They all boil down to the fact that success usually comes to those who choose the pain of discipline over the ease of distraction.
Embrace the discomfort. There is nothing worthwhile in life that comes easy. You have to consistently do uncomfortable things to achieve your goals.
The choice is yours to make. It may seem hard initially but it can do wonders for your life , career , and relationships. The sooner you start practising self-control, the sooner you will be able to reap the benefits of it. We recommend you embed meditation into your life. It is an effective way to conquer your mind.
Play the long-term game . All the great things are achieved in the long-term. Don’t let cheap dopamine ruin your future.
NOTE- If you want to get rid of all the bad habits and make the most of your potential. I would highly recommend you to take this program and make the most of your life. Don’t be average and let your potential go down the drain.
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