Seeing Self-Control in a More Positive Light

As children, most of us were taught the values of discipline at an early age.


Here on Your Zen Growth we’ve even presented ways on how to properly communicate with children. Now that we’re all grown up, our level of maturity should be parallel to our age. Part of this means, being accountable with whatever – major or otherwise – decisions we make in our lives.

Self-control is one of the most vital cogs in our psyches. My Self Development underlines its importance by comparing man and beast. The website claims, “man has emerged from an animal into a ‘thinking soul,’ and thus needs to impart some levels of restraint in his interactions with other human beings.”

The key word in the aforementioned statement is “restraint”. Let’s compare life to a casino. In more ways than one, living everyday life is like walking inside a massive gaming monolith with enticing flashing lights. You will witness the many joys of winning, the painful agony of losing, and all the varied emotions in between. This, in essence, tests your self-discipline – regulation, and accountability, included – in ways you’ll least expect.

Considering the gaming industry already has incorporated state-of-the-art technology and has established its dominance online, it becomes doubly hard to dig deep into your well of discipline. But this is where self-discipline is needed and parallels to real life can be drawn. Support mechanisms need to be created to help you overcome certain facets of your life. While there are companies that see the need to support the consumer in casinos and in life, the reality is these aids aren’t always there for us. Luckily digital operator Slingo bucks the trend of operators that allow players free rein to play without cause. This particular company has been the advocate of a Responsible Gaming initiative which asks players to take ‘Cool Down’ periods which aim to eradicate bad gaming habits. These cool down stages are exactly what many of us need in our actual lives to reassess where we are at and think things through before acting and not entering the vicious cycle of hating your life.

There’s a one-of-a-kind form of temptation that comes from casinos, as well as the gaming industry on a whole. It’s somewhat fascinating that we resort to these methods in order to bring out a part of us that we maybe never knew existed. Let’s think of it this way, controlling temptation sometimes boils down to changing the way we construct our sentences and using the right words, according to this article published by the Journal of Consumer Research.





With this, let’s take buffets as an example. Regardless if you’re a heavy eater or not, if someone who invites you to indulge at a buffet by using the phrase “I don’t” instead of saying “I can’t” it will help condition your mind that you have made your decision. The aforementioned study also shows how the words “don’t” and “can’t” make all the difference in the world when it comes to developing positive habits and self-control.

It’s important to remember that there’s a huge difference between saying no because of reason X, Y and Z, and enjoying something in moderation. The first creates a negative notion that limits us to satiate a part of our brains that may or may not bring happiness. On the flipside, the latter allows us to relish things with proper regulation and positivity, thus training our minds to savor all that’s good without going overboard. Ultimately, this is where having strong self-discipline does wonder for your mindset.