People who learn primarily from reading and principally communicate through writing generally possess a highly developed internal world, a more refined sense of self-control, and a greater sensitivity to honoring social boundaries.

We achieve emotional equanimity and self-control by discovering how to live in accord with our capabilities, character, and evolving ethical values.

Rejoicing in the variegated ringtones of life allows us to accept a life full of beauty, harshness, tragedy, and dark comedy without incurring any backlash of dread. Accepting our personal faults while attempting to learn and gain greater control over our primordial impulses produces self-improvement and enhances personal happiness.

Personal change requires motivation, a plan, and determination to see a plan through to fruition. Although I elected to change the way that I live, this decision was not easy to implement. We frequently act against our better judgment. We sometimes know the correct thing to do, but still struggle doing so. The Ancient Greeks used the term akrasia to refer to a person knowing what course of action is correct and righteous, but electing do somethings else because of a lack of self-control.

We cannot anticipate in advance how anyone will respond when they first rub elbows with Eros’ malady of passion and madness. Eros arrives on a wing of a devious angel to take control of our body, encapsulate our mind, and seize command over the quality of our life. In its purest manifestation, romantic love guarantees to rip us asunder, because we are unwittingly dispossessed of our precious sense of self-control.

A person whom fails to conquer oneself will always live in fear, and experiences life filled with conflict and emotional storms. Fearfulness prevents a person from perceiving reality and ever knowing oneself. Unable to cope with fear and uncertainty, a person resorts to denial, repression, compromise, and hides behind the mask of a false self.

Self-mastery epitomizes the height a person’s of measureable success. Conversely, we can gauge the depth of personal failure by a person’s degree of lack of self-control and self-abandonment.