Impulse Control
The skill of looking before leaping
Hello Reader,
What is Impulse Control?
As you saw from the videos, impulse control is our ability to control our immediate instinct to act (sometimes unsuccesful!). It is the capacity to recognize our emotions, temptations and impulses, resist their immediate urges, and decide how we respond. It is the skill of looking before leaping.
Why is Impulse Control important?
Impulse Control is at the heart of wise decision making. It means that we can resist instant reactions, gratification and retaliation, and instead have the power to control and choose how we behave. It doesn’t mean that we ignore our gut instincts or relinquish any form of spontaneity in our lives - no, it means that we have the ability to filter our automatic response and add a voice of reason to the equation. Controlling our impulses is vital to making effective decisions, as it means we can balance the needs of our present self with that of our future self.
Furthermore, according to a longitudinal study in New Zealand (Moffitt, 2011), which followed 1000 people from childhood to adults, self-control (impulse control) reduced the likelihood of health problems, financial struggle, substance abuse and being convicted of a crime.
Tool
Awareness / Reason / Track / Resist: (ART-R)
Awareness: Write a list of the areas that you have weak impulse control in your life
Reason: Ask yourself why you want to resist the impulse. What is the motivation? What is your reason?
Track: record your ability for 2 - 4 weeks to control your immediate instinct.
Ask yourself: why did you resist or not resist? Environment?
Resist: Practice resisting - there are no hacks for this. Put in the time.
Accountability? Add in a coach to help.
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