You Must Learn Control

If you’ve ever followed my tweets, then you’ll know that I occasionally like to throw a quote out there about life, money, savings and now, self control.

I saw a quote by Yoda, of all people, “You must learn control.” 

Self Control/Impulse Control/Self Regulation/Will Power is really the ability to control your behavior, emotions AND desires. The terms are used to refer to the many processes individuals use to manage drives and emotions. Now, if you’ve ever followed my blogs you’ll know that this is truly a struggle I encounter almost daily. Maybe everyone does on some level. 

Many things can affect your ability to exert self-control. Some research suggests it’s biological (i.e. – ADHD, low glucose levels), friends (i.e. – If you have a high-roller friend you know what I’m talking about), psychological factors (i.e. – losing a job, not feeling well, etc…), and little things like Point-of-Purchase displays. 

We’ve all seen it, your child or a niece sees a candy bar while waiting at the register and the next thing you hear is screaming and begging…a parents/aunts/uncles worst nightmare come true. They are placed there for a reason. It’s marketing at its best and it’s meant to challenge our self-control. What do you do?

You can change the situation by removing the distraction, manipulating emotional conditions (“change of scene” may remove emotional stimuli), and sometimes it’s as easy as choosing to walk away and do something else. 

Self control is exhausting making it difficult for us to cope with change, but with enough practice you can better manage and even overcome your need for instant gratification.

 

Comments

[Grant]

I definitely agree with the difficulty of the high-roller friend(s). One of the biggest hurdles is just recognizing when you're in a situation to dump money that might be better spent elsewhere.

[Heather H.]

You are right, self-control IS exhausting. Good for you for tackling it head-on! I love your tweet from a few days ago: "You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality." So true!

[Rachel]

Hi Amy,

Great blog! Self control is very difficult and exhausting and there are so many external forces that can influence us.

Last weekend, I was feeling impulsive (I had a spend $150 get $50 off coupon for NY and Company) and in need of some new clothes to boost the self esteem. I fought hard to overcome the urge (because I only had $60 in the budget to spend) and guess what?? I got a coupon in the mail yesterday for the same store -- 40% off a 100 dollar purchase.

Your focus will pay off -- sometimes immediately, sometimes in the future.