How To Master One CRUCIAL Skill To Achieve Success In Any Endeavour
It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to build a business, lose weight or achieve any other goal you’ve set your eyes on…
There’s one skill that you’ll absolutely need to master. It’ll be a tough and painful journey to become adept at it, but once you’re able to execute, success will be inevitable in any field you immerse yourself into.
So what’s that skill, you ask?
It’s impulse control. Some people call it delayed gratification or sacrifice.
Whatever term is used – all it basically means is that you are in control of your feelings and emotions.
How a lack of impulse control sabotages you
Let’s assume you’re on a diet and you need to eat clean…
What will you do if you suddenly have a craving to gulp down the can of ice-cold beer that’s sitting comfortably in your fridge – and winking at you every time you open the refrigerator door?
Will you give in to temptation and guzzle down the entire can without giving it a second thought?
Or will you exercise impulse control and shut the door as you flee to another room in the house?
If you’re able to say no to the temptation, you’ll be on your way to your weight loss goal. If you lack impulse control and give in, you’ll be placing obstacles in your weight loss journey and impeding your own progress.
Impulse control affects different areas of your life
If you’re trying to build your own business, you may be tempted to take the day off and have fun instead of working.
If you’re married but notice an attractive co-worker who’s giving you the eye, you may be tempted to flirt with her and land yourself in hot soup.
If you’re on a tight budget, you may feel the urge to relieve stress by buying items you don’t need and putting more charges on your credit card.
All these actions are a result of a lack of impulse control. Procrastination, going into debt, straying in your marriage, etc. are all signs that you want a quick hit of dopamine rather than wait for a slow payout.
Here’s the irony…
If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice.
Either way, you’re sacrificing something.
Would you rather sacrifice immediate short-term gratification and achieve your goals…or will you keep giving in to the temptations and old habits which are holding you down?
What’s really unfortunate is that short-term gratification will only keep you happy for a very short time… but delayed gratification will lead to long-term happiness.
The joy you gain from eating or drinking what you shouldn’t will only last you for a few minutes. But losing weight and achieving the body of your dreams will make you happy for a long time. Nothing tastes as good as being lean feels.
The same applies to most worthy goals. Your short-term sacrifices which seem painful in the moment will lead to long-term rewards that give you true long-lasting happiness.
How to develop impulse control
The first step will be to change your environment. That may mean eliminating all food temptations in your house, if you’re trying to get in shape.
If you’re in debt, it may mean cutting up your credit cards and creating a strict budget that you’ll follow closely.
Whatever your situation may be, distancing yourself from temptations is the first step. This will prevent things from being harder than they need to be. Do not rely on willpower. Almost always, it’ll fail you sooner or later.
Once your environment is conducive to helping you control your negative habits, you’ll want to aim for small 1 percent improvements daily.
For example, if you have a social media addiction, you may wish to install a screen time app to track how long you’re on your phone.
Then aim to cut down your time spent on your phone (using social media) by about 10 minutes a day.
In a week or so, you’ll only be on social media for a few minutes a day. You may choose to either minimize your usage or eliminate the habit entirely.
What matters most is that you’re mindful of how you think and act. This is the most important step when it comes to exercising impulse control.
Ask yourself if what you’re doing will help you or hurt you. Then decide from there. It won’t be easy at the start…but the more you practice impulse control, the better you’ll get at it.
Once you’re in control of your thoughts and actions, you’ll act in congruence with your goals and achieve them easily and in record time.
