What exactly is self discipline, and why is it considered such an important step to further human development. What most will usually struggle with is their own self control over themselves, as there are easy temptations which are constantly staring down on them on a daily basis.
The current state of the instant gratification media, constantly preys and purposely batters our fake persona’s.
It pumps up our ego by constantly teasing and hitting our emotional buttons, which makes us want to be more popular, in demand, more attractive, more successful.
We’re always out on the prowl searching for the next big trend, the next best thing that’s coming down the chute.
We do so to make us look and feel a lot better about ourselves, which will improve our lives in some way.
This is the primal human instinct and we all fall victim to it, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with fulfilling these desires.
The biggest issue however is we fall too easily to the tempting bad vices and they become habits.
Then before we know it, we give in to the smallest of these desires, and then start losing control over ourselves, our lives, and the ones we love.
Losing Out To Temptation
We all know smoking cigarettes for instance, is unhealthy but most will continue to do so anyways. We know junk food is unhealthy, but we munch away.
We all know we should be exercising more on a daily basis, while getting adequate sleep every night. We know going in debt is dangerous but we spend anyways.
We hardly apply all the knowledge we know into our lives. For most of us, we fail. The reason being we live in a society which promotes instant everything.
We can’t reason to wait or care to save money for something we want to buy. Instead, we’ll use our credit cards and end up paying more for that item once the interest compounds.
We can’t resist eating that chocolate bar hidden in our desk, that glass of alcohol which hits so good.
They call out to us, and then we find ourselves drawn powerless towards that temptation, and then we give in. So what to do about it.
The Path To Self Discipline
What self discipline involves is applying these techniques to ourselves. Why you wonder would someone even bother.
What are the benefits of having self discipline, heck, life is short. Who really cares if we have poor self control, it’s our life, it’s our party.
We’re just hurting ourselves and in some remote cases, our family and friends. It comes down to what we’re resisting, and how often we do it.
For instance, alcohol and tobacco abuse, gambling, compulsive shopping, eating excessively, these are all things which can erode the quality of our livelihood and health.
Managing Better Self Control
Strengthening our own self control gives us freedom. We’re no longer victims of our own desires.
Imagine having the strength to say “No Thanks” to that extra piece of chocolate cake, and mean it.
Imagine paying down your debt and being in control of your current expenses, or a stronger healthier body and a clearer mind free of toxins.
This is freedom. Know this is possible for everyone, if you’re willing to put forth the effort.
For some, there’s a whole boatload of emotional issues which are attached with our cravings, our habits.
We smoke or drink to eliminate the edge, rather than just speaking up. We overeat just to numb our dissatisfaction with our current anxieties.
Most addictions are derived as a coping mechanism, for taming the emotions we’re no longer wanting to face.
But once we begin practising better self control, the newly reawakened emotions then needs to be dealt with and worked through.
It All Begins With You
What we need to ask ourselves is if it’s worth the effort. How much our lives will improve if we learned how to resist certain temptations.
If your worst habits happen to be minor, such as having that extra cup of coffee in the morning, it might not even matter to you.
If you happen to be a heavy smoker or a chronic drinker, or a compulsive eater or gambler, the matter and its process becomes a bit more serious and painstaking.
What we need is to look honestly at our lives, and determine if we’re out of control in any area. For some, the answer may be no. For others, they may need immediate help.
We also need to know the level of desire for these activities. Just because you might decide to drink 4 cups of coffee a day, doesn’t necessarily mean you have an issue.
The key method of knowing if you have a problem is by asking yourself, “Could I live without this even for a day or two?”
Based on how you respond, such as no, you’ll know if you have a problem or not.
Strengthening Your Willpower
Strengthening willpower while resisting our desires can be a difficult thing to do.
Most have become so jaded and weak to the point they can’t imagine saying “no” to something they really want or enjoy.
What it takes is immense strength and conviction to resist any of those impulses. It takes a strong desire to improve ourselves and our lives.
Without this desire, we won’t be very successful in making any lasting changes or impressions we want.
If the desire happens to be there, even if there’s just a tiny spark, that’s usually enough.
Then we can begin working towards structuring our lives to change in different ways we’ve never thought possible.
We can then set ourselves free during this process towards better self discipline.