1 post tagged “self-control”
Yesterday was a revealing day here in the UK.
For two very different reasons:
1) It was St George's Day - England's national day.
2) It was one the first days of sunshine in many long weeks (worthy
of a celebration in itself!)
When one of the two happens, many Londoners enjoy a cold drink outside
their local pub. And yesterday's double celebration increased the
number of people involved.
Groups of grown-up men reveled outside, engaging in loud, sometimes
insulting, behaviors - to the amazement of many appalled or scared
tourists.
Not exactly a display of the traits of the reserved gentleman the English
like to be known for!
From my office window, I observed a group of eight red-faced men, all
in their fifties, smartly dressed, stumbling in front of the local pub,
and arguing with the landlord because she would not let them in.
Each one attempted to impress his friends by arguing more vociferously
than the other.
Each one had seemingly spent the afternoon trying to "out-drink" his
friends to gain their approval.
Finally, they gave up and moved on to the next pub… after 45 minutes
(it was still only 4:00 pm!).
Nobody is perfect: When it comes to the "drinking game", I have been
on both sides of the fence. And I can assure you I have been much
better off since I started to focus on what is good for me rather than
what will make me popular.
I believe learning to keep in check your need for acceptance is a
lifelong practice that brings great rewards.
If you are not being true to yourself when you are with your friends,
you may need to review why you are "friend" with them… and whether it
would be beneficial to assert you self-control and distance yourself
from them.
Take the time to consider the true reasons behind your actions and habits.
You will usually find that the ones motivated by your need for peer acceptance
are often a waste of your time, energy, and mental power.
Try being your true self instead and see how that compares...
