Weighing In

Now that you know what SELF-CONTROL is and isn’t, let’s weigh in on what is in it for you and the possible consequences for not adopting SELF-CONTROL as a character strength in your own life. While it is always a choice to exhibit any character strength in your life, consequences, both positive and negative, always follow based on your choices.

There are many benefits to adopting self-control as part of the person you want to be. People who exhibit selfcontrol are usually very successful in life. They obey laws and are trustworthy. They make and keep friends because they consistently treat them with kindness. They use self-control as a decision-making lens for everything they do and speak.

They can set and meet their goals in finances, relationships, education, and work. Those with self-control know how to have fun without being disrespectful or rude to others. Those exhibiting self-control are usually well respected and trusted.

There are also negative consequences for people who do not exhibit self-control. Most of these consequences are directly related to the area in which the selfcontrol is lacking. For example, a natural consequence of lacking the self-control to study for a test is a poor grade.

Other negative consequences may take more time to appear, but those who lack self-control often find it difficult to make and keep positive relationships, be trusted to do business with others, and be trusted in higher-level job positions. Lack of self-control equates to irresponsibility and lack of consistency.

As you “weigh in” to decide if self-control is important to you in accomplishing your goals and becoming someone you are proud of, consider people in your life who exhibit self-control. There are also many famous people and athletes who have exhibited self-control, a probable reason many of them have reached fame. Search them out to learn more about them and their lives and how their selfcontrol has impacted their lives, their careers, and the lives of many others.