Continuing from where I left off last time…

Self-control is the underlying element of success in the most spectacular events in history and in the smallest parts of our daily lives.  The process is exactly the same in kind and quality – it only varies by degree.  Any person can achieve self-control IF they are willing to pay the price.

Only man has the ability to control himself.  All other creatures rely on instinct.  Their thinking is rudimentary at best.  Their logic is the logic of their own DNA.  Dogs and cats all do what dogs and cats are made to do and not more.  Humans have the gift of free will.  The ability to choose their actions.  They are the sole creatures on the planet with the power to have a moral conundrum or a moral conquest.

Every step of progress in the world has been about “control”.  It has been about abandoning superstitions and myths in favor of understanding.  At every step forward, we gain mastery of a “fact”.  It was once thought that man would never be able to fly, much less fly to the moon, but the processes were uncovered and now flight is commonplace. 

Lightning used to be a scary, terrible thing for people.  One day we realized it as electricity.  Next we found out how to use electricity to improve life.  Now we only think about it when it’s interrupted.  The millions of inventions using electricity are evidence of man’s own power to master a mighty force.  But the greatest of all control is “Self Control”.

At every moment of our life, we are either using self control or we’re not.  We’re either the “master” of ourselves or a slave to something else.  If we surrender to our weaknesses, wallow in self-pity or any “woe is me” kind of thinking, dwell on the past or our any of our failures, we become weaker – unable to create the catalyst of our own new genesis.

When we consciously and on purpose control our thoughts and actions, day by day we become the master of our lives.  When we overcome the opposing forces within us we begin to build our new self from the ashes of our indiscretion.  When this happens, we truly are masters – Kings – of our lives.

Alexander the Great conquered the whole known world, but he did not conquer himself.  He was a slave to his passions instead of a master of them.

Have you ever envied the possessions of other people and wished you had them for yourself?  Sometimes we feel this in an abstract way with no real thoughts of getting them, like when we see the Hope Diamond, or the self-satisfaction of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or another successful person.  But sometimes, we get agrivated at the seemingly inequitable distribution of the good things in life.  Then fall into a hopeless acceptance of our “lot in life”.

Why do we envy the success of other people when we could emulate the process that gave them their success?  Remember Charles Atlas, the renowned body-builder from the 1950′s?  He was a puny guy who had sand kicked in his face as a young man.  He vowed that would never happen again and through self-education and control, he learned the step by step, day by day process to superb development of his body.  Then he shared that secret with the world.  Those people with self-control who followed his advice get the same success as Charles Atlas.

We may sometimes envy the power and spiritual strength of a Paul, without understanding that it was his self-control that transformed the weak Paul of Tarsus into the legend we know today.

We tend to ignore the thousands of cases of people who overcame great obstacles – mental, moral, physical, financial, or spiritual – and started from a beginning far weaker and poorer than our own.

Anyone can achieve self-control simply by deciding to do it.   Don’t expect that it will be easy.  The dues must be paid in small ways day in and day out.  The analogy of the installment plan works well as an example.  Nobody is so poor that he cannot begin to pay for what he wants.  Every small investment in himself adds up and compounds for him in a reserve fund for his time of need.

Watch for the next installment of Self-Control soon.