Do you control your emotions or do your emotions control you? Everyone likes to think they have control over their emotions, but there are plenty of common signs that show that it’s quite rare for someone to have mastered their emotions.
Our emotions lead our behavior. You just might discover that you have less mastery over yourself than you thought.
How much control do you really have?
Consider these signs that indicate your emotions control you:
You procrastinate. What is procrastination? It’s the inability to get yourself to do something you know you should be doing. Eventually you’ll do it, but not at the best time.
● Why does this happen? It happens because you don’t feel like doing it, so you find a way to squirm out of it, at least in the short term.
You lose your temper easily. Do small things make you see red? Do you lose your temper every day?
● When you lose your temper, you lose the ability to think and reason like a rational human being. If you had control over your emotions, could you lose your temper?
You do what is easy or enjoyable, instead of what is needed. At any moment, there’s what you should be doing and what you want to do. Rarely are they the same thing.
● So, which do you do? Do you show discipline and do what is important? Or do you give in to the urge to do something else?
● This is the biggest obstacle to success. We all know what needs to be done, but we can’t get ourselves to do it often enough to enjoy lasting success.
You repeat your mistakes. One way of knowing that you’re driven by your emotions is an inability to change your behavior. Repeating mistakes demonstrates that your intellect is being overridden by your emotions.
● If your powers of reasoning were in charge, you wouldn’t repeat your mistakes.
You fail to consider the consequences of your actions. When your emotions are calling the shots, any consideration of consequences goes right out the window.
● If you allow your emotions to be in control, your tendency will be to make yourself feel better now without concern for the future.
You frequently regret the things you say and do. How often do you say something that you wish you could take back later? Impulsive actions and outbursts show that your emotions have control over your decision-making process.
Your actions are influenced by your mood. Do you make the same decisions regardless of your emotions? Good for you. Those that are controlled by their emotions make different decisions depending on how they feel that day.
How much control do you have? Do your emotions drive your thoughts and behavior? It’s not easy to learn how to override our emotions and allow rational thinking to prevail.
We’re all masters at justifying what we desire. Make an effort to think before acting or speaking. Ask yourself what the smart decisions is, and then do everything you can to follow that course of action.