Clement Chee

In case you do not know, successful people only have one trait in common. It is the trait that got them to where they are and it is one trait many people know they should have but they failed to adapt for themselves.

It is one trait that is not that pleasing to the ears – self control.

I have to admit, I struggle with this big time and I am working on it. Many freelancers, Internet marketers or business owners will have the same experience, especially when you are working from home like me. When you have more free time over your business or work, the harder it is for you to discipline yourself. Well, at least it is for me.

So I want to share with you 5 ways you can express your self-control. I am sure you will find them useful for you.

1. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAINTAIN THEIR HEALTH. When we were young, we were fed with what our parents thought was best for us. They would not feed us with oily food or drinks with excessive sugar like Coke very often. They knew very well these food will do damage to our health.

However, when we grow older, we tend to have more freedom to choose over our lives. Very often, we eat what we like to eat even we know some of them will bring damage to our body.

For me, I find that the unhealthiest food are the ones that have the best tastes. I can eat a lot of chicken and KFC. I can drink soups with really thick fat on it. To make things worse, I am not a very big fan of vegetables.

However one fine day, my best friend told me about the function and the importance of eating vegetables. He told me that vegetables helps a lot in our digestive system because they squeeze the waste out of your body. When I heard that, I got scared and it changed my perspective about vegetables. I started to eat more vegetables from then on and sometimes, I purposely do not want to take any meat simply because I want to ‘detox’ =).

So I think self control in this area is really crucial of our lives. Health is being mentioned first because I believe there is nothing good we can do without good health. We can have a lot of money and what good does it do when we do not have good health?

2. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE PLAN THEIR TIME. Whether you like it or not, everyone has 24 hours a day. Bill Gates does not have 36 hours to develop Microsoft operating system in a day. Donald Trump does not have 48 hours to build his buildings. Ray Kroc, the founder of MacDonald’s did not have extra hours in a day when he started his business long time ago.

These people are just like you and me, only have 24 hours a day. The only difference is that, they plan their time very well and the way they use it brings in much productivity to what they do.

This includes their work, relationships, family, marriage, friends, health and many other different areas of their lives. Although you may see some successful people are not doing very well in their marriage, there are also those who handle different areas of their lives well.

Apart from being so successful in their career, they have a very happy marriage life, social life and a lot of great friends around them. Planning your time well does not mean you only have time for your work. It also means you have time for your family, friends, entertainment, holiday and rest. I believe this should be the way of success in life.

Here is how you can plan your time well:

• Analyze our lifestyle. We need to know how our lifestyle is like. How long does it take for you to get ready for work? Do you spend a lot of time with your spouse? Do you even have social life? How much time are you spending on this project? In order to save time, we will need to be able to know how we lose it. The unexamined life is not worth living at all.
• Utilize the present. This simply means making the most of out the present time. Most human beings have one ugly habit called ‘procrastination’. How often do you delay your work especially when there is a large task ahead of you? When you are waking up, would you say to yourself, “5 more minutes”? It is normal. So make the most out of every opportunity.
• Prioritize what’s important. I believe not everything that comes on your way is necessary. Not all phone calls are important and you do not have to answer the phone every time it rings. Not every conversation is important. I am not saying that they are wrong, but I believe there is a better time to do it. When you are rushing for a meeting, it is not the right time for you to listen to me complaining about my boss.

3. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MANAGE THEIR FINANCES. This topic can be a really long topic by itself. There are tonnes of books that will teach you how to manage and even grow your finances. If you are struggle financially, there are 2 things you can do. You can either save here and there bit by bit in order to cut down your expenses or you can choose to increase your income yet you are still able to enjoy paying for your expenses. Also, learn to do budget if you have to because it is very important because it gives you an idea where your money goes.

4. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MASTER THEIR FEELINGS. Many of us do things based on emotions. “I feel like sleeping instead of going to work”, “I feel like going ditching my girlfriend”, “I feel like eating a lot of food”. Often, we are the slaves to our emotions, if we do not learn to master them well. Successful people live their lives based on commitment and conviction, not emotions.

5. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE GUARD THEIR WORDS. Your words can either break or make a person. You can either use that to encourage or destroy a person’s dream. I remember another friend of mine told me that he stopped thinking about starting his own business because the people around him gave him negative feedbacks on his plan. So can you make a person’s day bright with your words?

Those were the ways you can use to control yourself in many ways. The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. Learn to make wise decision for your pathway to success.