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Self-Control Checkup

I’m going to make a bold statement here and say that the majority of us, as long as we’re being honest with ourselves, have a serious lack of self-control. Whether it be food, beverages or the things we say and do — or, on the contrary, don’t do — we can all find something we allow ourselves to indulge in just a bit too much.

Do you have issues with stopping yourself from texting your crush one too many times or saying no to the second glass of wine you didn’t intend to have or not allowing really awful words to fly out of your mouth in the heat of the moment?

Certainly, we’re all guilty of one of those in some capacity — sometimes on a daily basis. So, what is it within ourselves that’s so hard to wrangle?

I wish I knew.

What I can say, however, is that there’s a daily practice I participate in that helps. At the end of every day, as a way to unwind, I go over my day in my head. I recall everyone I interacted with and what our conversations were like; I recap every meal I ate and every beverage I drank; and I scan my phone to remind myself of all the texts I sent.

This may seem like a daunting task — and at first, it is. But you’ll soon begin to recognize patterns in your behavior. Did I seem snappy and ungrateful with more than one person I conversed with? Did I make a decision to choose unhealthful foods for my meals? Did I go work out, or did I use my few free moments gluttonously sucking down a chocolate milkshake?

Let me tell you that after a few nights of seeing a pattern of bad choices, the poor decision-making slowed. I was forced to be accountable to myself — and there’s no worse critic than our own selves. I’d be damned if one more chicken finger crossed my brain or if I had to cringe yet again when recalling what I said to someone in a meeting. There was simply no longer any excuse for my overindulgence or lack of self-control, because it was being reported to someone every night — me!

There’s nobody out there who can change you but you. If you do this on the regular and you really go through your entire day every day, you’ll find yourself making better choices in all aspects of your life. What’s one area of your life in which you lack self-control? Tweet me @JennyMcCarthy.

To find out more about Jenny McCarthy and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.