Hello 2016!

Yep, this is one of those posts. But please, bear with me. A sistah's trying to make some changes for the better. — Yep, this is one of those posts. But please, bear with me. A sistah’s trying to make some changes for the better.

Self–control is the ability to control one’s emotions, behavior, and desires in the face of external demands, to function in society. In psychology it is sometimes called self-regulation, although that is itself a somewhat broader concept.

-A super-quick Google search

I am now able to admit this publicly: I lack self-control.

This finally hit home when I checked my December 2015 bank statement and discovered that in the first two weeks of the month, I had spent $80+ on Starbucks alone. (Who did I think I was?? Clearly not ME with my Broke Phi Broke income).

A Financial Self Control 101 crash course, brought to me by Mint, (this app is REAL; has me now questioning every purchase I make/adhering to a rigid budget I’ve recently created) inspired me to also investigate other aspects of my life where self-control/self-regulation sucks:

My writing
My reading
My meditation

What I have learned is that NETFLIX eats up a lot of my creative time and sucks away at a lot of personal/creative energy. I have spent the better part of a month’s winter vacation sitting on my couch binge-watching Sons of Anarchy like there wasn’t a million and one other things I should have and could have been doing.

There have been so many instances in the past where I’ve said: Courtney, you’re going to do more of this; Courtney you’re no longer going to do that — and remained consistent for maybe two days. I would congratulate myself by taking a day off of whatever I was doing. The day off became an extended vacation became basically my life became no progress having been made.

Did I waaant to sit and watch TV vs. Did I neeeed to sit and watch TV? Or did I need to be writing? Or reading? Or studying a new language?

I think it was so hard to admit I had a problem with Stick-To-It -iveness before now because I imagined self-control meaning just the ability to NOT do something, and usually something dark like refraining from alcohol. But I now know having control over self is more than refraining from doing something. It also means having control over what I DO do too.

So, this is me, revamping my blog and hopefully trying this self-control/consistency thing out here again. I’ve tried it before and it didn’t work out. We’ll see what happens going forward.

Come join me. Keep me motivated.

4 thoughts on “Hello 2016!”

Hey, thanks for sharing! It is difficult to be self controlled, I think the biggest thing is taking action even when we don’t feel like it. All the best!