Self-control: the willingness to delay immediate gratification
If children and youth were trained and educated to habits of self-denial and self-control, if they were taught that they eat to live instead of living to eat, there would be less disease and less moral corruption. There would be little necessity for temperance crusades,... if in the youth, who form and fashion society, right principles in regard to temperance could be implanted. They would then have moral worth and moral integrity to resist, in the strength of Jesus, the pollutions of these last days.
- Counsels on Health p.609
Teaching children to practice self-control has life-long benefits
by Gregory Ramey, PhD, child psychologist at Dayton Children's and Dayton Daily News columnist
What would happen if you put a marshmallow in front of your 4-year-old and gave him a choice? He can eat the marshmallow immediately or wait 15 minutes and get two marshmallows. What would he do?
In a series of experiments in the 1970s, researcher Walter Mischel studied self-control in young children. Four-year-olds were left alone in a room with a single marshmallow and told to ring a bell when they wanted the adult to return.
Some youngsters ate the one marshmallow immediately, while others used various distraction techniques and waited 15 minutes so as to get two treats. Researchers studied these two groups of students again when they graduated from high school and found significant differences between the groups.
Preschoolers who demonstrated high levels of self-control at age 4 did significantly better in high school. In comparison with their impulsive counterparts, the self-control students achieved higher levels of academic success, scored 200 points higher on their SATs and were rated higher on social competence and dependability.
The ability to say "no" to something good today for the sake of something better tomorrow is critical to your personal and professional success.
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HERE The three leading causes of burden of disease in 2030 are projected to include HIV/AIDS, unipolar depressive disorders and ischaemic heart disease in the baseline and pessimistic scenarios. Road traffic accidents are the fourth leading cause in the baseline scenario...
The uncertainty in regional and global assessments of mortality and disease burden for 2002 must be kept in mind when using the projections of mortality and burden of disease to 2030. The projections of burden are also highly uncertain. The projections are not intended as forecasts of what will happen in the future but as projections of current and past trends, based on certain explicit assumptions.
-http://www.who.int/healthinfo/statistics/bod_projections2030_paper.pdf
This is all very exciting to me... the experiences in the past provides us a projection of future events to come. Our bible study group has been studying Daniel 8 and unearthing the dramatic history of this world. Jesus was clear that certain events will come to pass before He comes (one of which is moral corruption which can be linked to self-control), and so He warns us to take heed, stand guard, Watch with all diligence lest our "hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life" - Luke 21:34. Did you know that in the last days, lack of self-control is an undesired trait among God's people.
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, *without self-control*, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! - 2 Timothy 3:1-5
But, God has given us the BIBLE = Biblical Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Cool acronym, eh? If Christ used the word ("it is written...") to overcome temptations (mine is food), shouldn't we follow His example? I thought about telling my pregnant colleagues to not nibble too much throughout the day or gorge, but it's been a bit difficult
Goodness gracious, I hope I can follow my own advice if that day comes for me.
Well, there is good news! Self-control is like a muscle. It experiences fatigue after exertion, but it can grow stronger after exercise
So although some of us are no longer a child, nor considered "youth," we can still cultivate self-control:) 1. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, *self-control*. Against such there is no law. 2. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowldge, to knowldge self-control, to *self-control* perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Comments (1)
A great reminder: I need to work on self-control.... Thanks!