Self-control or self-discipline is an important element of one's personality. One who does not have a disciplined and controlled approach in life can never succeed in this world of heavy competition. Without a control on the self and behavior, one can remain on the back of the herd and this causes de-motivation. An impulsive behavior at home or at work can be disastrous. People who are unable to handle pressured situations fail miserably in maintaining personal and professional relationships.

Most people do not even know their abilities and weaknesses as they take up ventures and activities. They are unable to perform well and meet failure in that activity. What they do not realize is that the activity was not meant for them from the start. Knowing one's abilities helps maintain a control over the situations and handle them well. It also helps in making wiser decisions. A person who knows self-control and self-discipline has the emotions and the mental self under composure and control. There is a sense of responsible acknowledgment and acceptance of one's behavior.

Developing the self-control requires patient understanding of the current psychological situation of the self. Assessing one's mental framework always works best in a quiet and serene environment. Meditation is an excellent way through which one can benefit from a self-analysis or a self-assessment. Through meditation, one can achieve visualization of the inner self and create a state of calm. One is able to look at the past actions and events in an unbiased manner as though another person is observing them. This simple act of focusing on the past and present helps in promoting concentration. Effective concentration itself is a very important part of self-assessment and it results in improved self-control.

Another important factor, which should be taken care of, is not to make vague plans. People have a habit of making important commitments towards positive changes, but they fail to keep up with them because they forget about them. Self-control implies that one is able to keep up with the commitments one has made. This however does not mean that one should not have expectations of any sort. One should have expectations but these should be kept in line with reality. When we have realistic goals and expectations, it would be easier to achieve them.

Also long term planning and then keeping up with such plans is difficult for most people. People want things to happen quickly and they want to accomplish everything at once. They lack the stamina of doing the things with a calm attitude. Patience is the proverbial key to self-control and self-discipline. People in various professions need to learn to do things patiently. Anger management classes and treatments focus on the necessity to implement patience in one's actions.

One must also realize during these exercises is that mistakes will still happen. It is more important that one look at these mistakes not as a sense of failure but as a reason to improve.

Mistakes mean that you are at least making an effort, even if it is not completely effective. Mistakes should be considered as a scope for further improvement. One must focus on the solutions. By staying focused, you can thrive to achieve by extracting from your mistakes, parts you can use to avoid making the same mistake again.

In addition, one must also learn to distinguish between priorities and desires. There are various things, which one wants to achieve, and there are things, which one needs to achieve. Self-control teaches us to give importance to our priorities and fulfill them first before our desires and wants. Thus, one can make improvement in one's life by practicing self-discipline and self-control.

Tracy Brinkmann is an goal setting and success coach. Through his company Success Atlas, he provides goal-setting, motivational & educational material, & training via live presentations as well as digital/audio products and now his social website devoted to like minded success seeking people like yourself.

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