Master of Yourself
"No man is free who is not master of himself." -Epictetus
I'm a big fan of self-improvement, the idea being to seek to be better today than you were yesterday, even if it's only a little bit. There are many elements to self-improvement. Some focus more on the physical stuff, like weight loss and muscle gain, while others primarily stick to improvement of the mind through learning. Still others like to focus on emotional and mental health through things such as meditation. Those of us who profess to be Christians might lean more towards spiritual growth. I like all of these things and I think they're all good. The main thing that's important is the intention to improve.
One area of growth that's been difficult for me over the years has been self-mastery. That is, being in control of myself instead of letting myself be controlled by my circumstances, my emotions, my physical state. It takes a lot of intentional action to become someone who is self mastered.
I'm convinced that we live in a time when it's more difficult than ever to get to this goal even though there are more resources available to do so than at any other time. The problem, as I see it, is that many of the things that are available to help us are also the things that hinder us. We can watch videos on anything we want to learn, but we can also get lost down a rabbit hole by watching videos on that same platform. We can build relationships with people all over the world, but we can also spend way too much time on social media and let it take us away from our real lives. It requires balance and many of us don't handle the tools properly.
The Apostle Paul gives an analogy that is inspirational, and perfectly sums up the gist of what I'm trying to get at. We must have aim. We must work for a purpose. In this endeavor, we'll become better at being self-disciplined.
Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:25-27 ESV