First of all, let us define self-control:
According to Vocabulary.com, “Self-control is the quality that allows you to stop yourself from doing things you want to do but that might not be in your best interest.”
My dear friend, today’s world is full of alluring mediums where you fall prey to the materialistic forces for momentary happiness. Resisting the temptation has become extremely difficult.
Getting carried away to these tempting drives might give you instant happiness and success. It is the reason why you begin to lose your self-control and commit yourself to these choices.
But is the success and happiness derived by committing to it real? Does it really last for a lifetime? Let us find out…
Why is Self-Control Important?
Straight out, there are no shortcuts to success, and happiness derived after fulfilling the never-ending desires is short-lived. You got the reason why is it short-lived. It is because those desires are never-ending. The fulfillment of one just makes making way for the other, resulting in a never-ending vicious flow.
This momentary happiness is soon followed by regret. And trust me, this regret adversely affects the self-love. And if continued further, it may even lead to self-harming thoughts.
It is immensely important to stay away from these drives. And this is why your self-control has a vital role to play. The stronger your self-control, the less you fall prey to the luring drives.
A few daily-life practical examples where self-control is important…
Student, self-control is resisting the temptation of going to your best friend’s birthday celebration today when he/she has a difficult exam tomorrow.
Ice-cream lover, self-control is resisting the temptation of eating it when you are on a fitness diet.
Married man, self-control is resisting the temptation of getting carried by the physical beauty of another woman.
Sugar patient, self-control is resisting the temptation of sweets and desserts.
Parent, self-control is resisting the temptation of raising hands on your child when he/she commits a mistake.
Stressed person, self-control is resisting the temptation of alcohol, which is an elusive stress buster.
Monetary-struggler, self-control is resisting the temptation to earn quick money by unethical means like gambling or theft.
Failure, self-control is the resisting the temptation of giving up.
I am sure you can relate to any of these instances.
How is Self-Control Connected to Self-Esteem?
In such a competitive and stressful environment where every man is for themselves, self-esteem has become quite essential. And it is your self-control, which is responsible for your boosted self-esteem.
If you keep falling prey to the alluring mediums, you will never be able to ride high on your self-esteem. Ultimately, you shall keep on denying the internal happiness.
On the contrary, you just need one big situation where you resist yourself to the alluring temptation via self-control. Then off you go, your self-esteem and self-love get an automatic boost. And this boost acts as a solid base to resist the upcoming temptations.
Let us find out how this entire process works…
AN INDIVIDUAL – SELF-CONTROL – CHARACTER BUILDING – AVOIDANCE OF MATERIALISTIC TEMPTATIONS – HIGH SELF-ESTEEM – REAL HAPPINESS.
First and foremost, self-control has to be your initiation to do the righteous things even if they don’t feel like doing it.
This initiation will help you in building a strong character. From there on, it is your strong character, which evokes confidence to resist the materialistic temptations.
Once the temptations are avoided, you begin to ride high on self-esteem. Eventually, a high self-esteem allows you to unlock the real happiness.
Time for some Happy Realizations:
Self-control always prevents you from taking short-cuts and teaches you valuable life lessons. The journey en route self-control may not be easy but assuredly, it does not have brakes and reverse gears.
Ironically, you tend to get provoked and influenced more when you are asked not to do that particular thing. It is easier when the discretion is yours. You need to initiate it than to be enforced upon you by others.
Initiate it with small instances, which should give the confidence to practice it in bigger situations. And stop making false commitments to yourself. Yes, please stop insulting your inner-self. Start with make small realistic commitments to yourself and make sure you fulfill them.
Always remember, your character is evaluated when nobody is watching, and not when everybody is watching. The journey of an individual to real happiness is a process and your self-control is the initiator.
