Freedom and Self-Control
When I was young, I loved playing computer games, and perhaps my generation is the same. Starting from "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 1" (the earliest white silk prpr), I played many games from childhood to adulthood. The biggest enemy in gaming is often parents. Once, when my dad wouldn't let me play computer games, I typed a message in the draft box of his phone, which roughly meant that my dad didn't let me play computer games, and I was a child "imprisoned by my parents, 'without freedom.'"
The phrase "freedom means doing whatever you want" has been a misunderstanding of mine for many years. People are often swayed by the temptations around them, failing to do what they truly want to do. Take students, for example; a student with independent thinking often understands that studying hard to get into a good university can lead to a better future, at least statistically speaking. However, because they cannot resist the temptations around them and follow the so-called freedom, they follow their so-called heart and fail to study well. Which student wouldn't want to achieve good grades?
In the airport bookstore, there are many deceptive books explaining success. Although these books are misleading, it doesn't mean that there are no key factors for success in a person's character.
To know which qualities are most important for success, a reliable method is to conduct large-scale statistics to see what qualities successful people have in common that unsuccessful people do not. Fortunately, someone has already conducted such experiments, and even wrote an article discussing this experiment. I will directly present the conclusion of this experiment:
A study statistically analyzed more than thirty qualities of college students and found that the vast majority had almost no impact on academic performance — some were extroverted, some introverted, some humorous, and some serious; the academic performance of these individuals was purely coincidental. The only quality that truly influences grades is self-control. Being able to attend class when it's time, do homework, study more, and watch less TV is the secret to academic success. Statistics show that self-control is an even better predictor of a student's college performance than IQ and entrance scores. This is not only true for college students; in the workplace, people with strong self-control are also more popular. They not only perform well at work but are also better at managing their emotions, thinking from others' perspectives, and are less likely to experience issues like paranoia and depression. Researchers generally believe that excluding intelligence factors, regardless of whether your vision of success is personal achievement, family happiness, or interpersonal relationships, the only determinant of success is self-control.
Yes, whether a person can succeed depends crucially on how strong their self-control is. An article by Tong Ren Yu Ye continues to explore self-control. Self-control can be depleted; once it is consumed, what remains decreases, but it can also be restored and even increased through training. Interested friends can take a look.
The phrase "freedom means doing whatever you want" is not strictly wrong, but what you want to do should be what you truly desire in your heart. Self-control is the ability to sacrifice short-term benefits for long-term goals and resist short-term temptations. Therefore, true freedom should belong to those who possess self-control.