Self-Control
- Jerry Clark
- Aug 22, 2025
- 2 min read
I catch myself more often than I’d like to admit, wanting other people to think, act, and decide the way I do. When they don’t, my first reaction is usually frustration.
Just the other day, I was sitting at a long traffic light. I had already waited through three cycles, and I was certain this time I’d finally get through. The light turned green, and just as I was ready to move, the car in front of me stopped to let two cars out of a driveway.
Really? Now I was stuck for another full light. My mind jumped straight to judgment: How rude, how inconsiderate! Don’t they know I’m in a hurry?
Another time, I was in the grocery store, standing in line with only three items. The person ahead of me was having a full-blown conversation with the checker, laughing, catching up, enjoying the moment. Meanwhile, I stood there stewing. When it was finally time to pay, the customer debated cash or card, rummaged through their wallet, and kept right on chatting. Inside, I was fuming: Do they have no awareness? Don’t they realize I have places to be?
Moments like these are endless. And each one exposes the same blind spot: I expect others to see the world through my lens. I want them to move, act, and decide with my priorities in mind.
But the truth is, they don’t. They think differently, value different things, and make choices I wouldn’t make. My frustration doesn’t change them; it only robs me of peace. The real challenge isn’t controlling others, it’s practicing self-control.
When I stop insisting that others live by my script, I feel less negative, less chaotic, and less out of control.
That’s the blind spot I keep working on realizing that others don’t think like me and learning to let that be okay.
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