An experiment in the 1960s showed that children who had less impulse control also showed less scholastic aptitude later in life.  In contrast, the children that had greater impulse control demonstrated the ability to delay gratification (during the study they did this for up to 20 minutes, and thereby received double the reward). Fourteen years later those same children showed an average of 250 points higher on SATs, more self-confidence, greater levels of drive, and better overall scholastic achievement.

Is lack of impulse control a result of nurture or nature? Is it something that is learned because one is rewarded for it over and over in life?  Is it because one doesn’t have a compelling enough vision for the future?  Or are we just born lacking that level of impulse control? As it turns out, impulse control can be a factor of both nature and nurture.

We can learn greater levels of impulse control through practice, but that starts off with a compelling vision. What we do is highly aligned with our reasoning.  If a person can’t master their vision for the future, they won’t be too compelled to give up the reward in the present. It’s hard to trade The Now for what seems to be an ambiguous reward down the road. This is why it’s essential that your future vision is made tangible in your current reality.

For some, bad habits in the present can offer an immediate gratification that outweighs any possible future consequences.  Secondly, we must understand that change comes in increments, not all at once. Ask yourself the following: what is one habit you can change in the near future (starting at small behavioral modification)? Achieve this, and it will be ample evidence that you are capable of more.