Did you ever stop to wonder why cowlicks were invented? Those crazy, wavy curls in the front of your hair? So you’d have something in your life you could try to control, of course! The tantalising nirvana of control is the goal of many – we want control over our bodies, our eating, our behaviour, our pets, children and partners.
This begs the question – what IS control, and how does it really benefit us?
Dictionary definitions range from ‘restraint’, ‘manipulation’ and ‘skill’, to ‘influence’ and ‘discipline’.
Dictionary definitions range from ‘restraint’, ‘manipulation’ and ‘skill’, to ‘influence’ and ‘discipline’.
Why do we want control?
Is it to gain security and manage fears, or to achieve perfection? Perhaps it’s simply the ability and right to choose or to decide. It could be the desire for power or authority over someone or something.
It’s interesting to consider how important these aspects are in our lives and what sorts of benefits they offer. And, how do they bring us happiness?
It’s interesting to consider how important these aspects are in our lives and what sorts of benefits they offer. And, how do they bring us happiness?
But beyond that, it is also quite liberating to realise that it’s the situations and events we can’t control – the things that blindside us on a Thursday afternoon – that often offer the greatest opportunities for growth, learning and joy.
