This is the fourth of my series of posts about self control. I suggest you read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three before reading this section.
Dealing with the trials of your personal and professional life requires patience.
When we use self control, our inner strength is built up for challenges that always happen, usually at the worst possible moment. (Some people say Murphy was an optimist. haha) Continue reading to find out how to develop your own self control.
As we practice self-control, the mental, physical, or moral energy we use is all stored for us and changed into strength. So in other words, you achieve self-control a little bit at a time until one day you realize you have it. But ask anyone who's tried losing weight. You've got to work at maintaining your own self control, or you'll pack those pounds on again.
One way to break the hold of our past self on our present self is to intentionally improve our capacity for self control by taking frequent small, gradually more powerful steps. It takes twenty-one days to free ourselves from a bad habit. Again, this task takes intention and practice for us to growth. It rarely happens all at once. But at any time we choose, we can start to make or break any habit.
If we really want to grow our character by developing our own self control, it's good to know that many men and women throughout the ages have dug deep, pulled themselves up by the bootstraps to achieve their dreams. We all admire the stories of men or women who created something from nothing or who have dreamed and achieved the impossible dream. Who do you admire for their achievements? Remind yourself of what your goals and dreams are. Could you use other's success as a model for your own?
Self-control is developed just like we develop a strong muscle from a weak one.
Use these small self-control tips every day. Do some of the following exercises frequently to develop and strengthen your discipline or morals.
- Do something you don't really want to do so that when you need your strength, you can take instant action.
- Give money to a charity or someone you don’t like when you slip up. There's even a website set up for this.
- Set a time limit for a task you're working on. Use a timer. When the alarm goes off – Stop working.
- Put down a book you're reading at the most exciting part of the story.
- Jump out of bed without hitting the snooze button two or three times.
- If you're able to walk home instead of taking the car.
- Talk to someone you don't particularly like and attempt a pleasant conversation.
Achievement in big things only happens by using self-control in little things.
Get to know yourself and discover where your strengths and weaknesses are. Figure out what it is inside of you that keeps you from reaching your best results. Many times it’s fear. Fear of failure. Fear of what people will say. Hell, I have met people who are afraid of success! It seems hard to believe, but they're out there sabotaging themselves. Know yourself and you’ll know where to start your journey toward self-control.
Are you overly selfish, vain, cowardly, pessimistic, lazy, worried, unfocused, have a hot temper, or the most dangerous of all – Do you suffer from a lack of purpose?
You must uncover your weaknesses and figure out what’s keeping you from the success you want. Live in the present every single day. Live one day at a time. It's useless to regret the past. useless to worry about the future. Live your day as if it were your only day – the only day to do your very best – the only day to master your worst traits. And please remember to be grateful for what you are accomplishing.
Work on your weaknesses as well as your strengths every day.
Trust me it’ll get easier. You may even discover that outsourcing you weaknesses is a better choice than trying to overcome them. That strategy works for me. I'm still accountable, but happy to have someone else do the dirty work… at least for my home based business.
Every small win is a victory for the master inside you. What's it going to be Bucky? Your answer lies within you.
The final post in this series will show you some self control resources to use in your quest. Here's your links to the other posts. Part One, Part Two, Part Three
