death to boredom : self-control.

i've always had a soft spot for a sesame street remix... i still sing 'letter b' rather than 'let it be' when i hear the beatles version. i know i'm not the only one who remembers that stuff. as of late, i've also enjoyed seeing feist talk counting, and jason mraz itchin' to get outdoors - i have a feeling that a musician would truly feel like they've 'arrived' when they're asked to perform on sesame street.

today, via theworldsbestever, i came across a brand new sesame street remix of the video for icona pop's i love it. i adore that the minds behind sesame street mimicked the style of the original video, and giggled when i saw the hashtag #controlmeself scroll across the frame. but most of all, i was peaking that cookie monster was singing about something that is often at the forefront of my mind: self control.

it's ambitious to communicate 'self-regulation' to the target audience of sesame street, but a young audience will remember the visuals and the message of the video even if the vocabulary is a bit out of their reach. hell, i wonder if kids, who haven't yet learned to 'justify anything' the way us twenty-somethings have, will get the concept of self-control better than the rest of us. 

i have learned that self-control is directly related to building character. the people who are the most remarkable, fascinating and admirable are the ones who ruthlessly self-regulate - who say no to endless hours of tv-watching in favour of spending their time purposefully. they are the people who hold their tongue, when it would be easier to say something cruel. they are the people who do not appease every impulse and desire. they are the people who have reasons for why they do what they do, and who make goals and follow dreams, refusing to be distracted. there are also those with a more subtle self-control, for example, that dad who chooses to live carefully within his means and set aside a small sum of money each week, even when he wants to spend it on himself, so his kids can have the best life possible.

ultimately all of our decisions line up to answer one question: who am i becoming? self-control means knowing what you want that answer to be, and aligning your decisions to reflect that.

we all know that we live in a culture that says i want it NOW, to the point that many have gone past 'wanting' things now and live as if they are entitled - convinced that they deserve it now, too. i don't know about you, but i want to be a person who is patient, a person who makes the most out of every second i have on this planet, and a person who is spontaneous but not thoughtlessly impulsive.

i want to be a person whose only entitlement complex is centred around living an extraordinary life.

guess what, kids? self control isn't sexy. it ain't very cool. but you want to be remembered for your character rather than your cool factor, right? yeah. me too.