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Test: What is your level of discipline?

Temptations
1. I easily resist temptations
2. It’s hard for me to change my habits
3. I am lazy
4. I sometimes say things that I’d better keep to myself
5. I never allow myself to lose temper
6. I sometimes do things that harm me, because they give immediate satisfaction
7. Others can count on me: I keep my word
8. In the morning, I have trouble getting out of bed
9. I have trouble saying no
10. I often change my mind
11. I speak openly about what concerns me, whatever the subject
12. Others find me impulsive
13. I’m not doing anything that could harm me
14. I spend too much
15. At home, everything is clean and tidy
16. Sometimes I am an enjoyer
17. I would like to have more self-discipline
18. I am a reliable person
19. I sometimes get carried away by my emotions
20. Ido a lot of things at the last minute
21. I don’t know how to keep secrets very well
22. Others find that I have an infallible self-discipline
23. I sometimes had to spend a whole night working or studying, because I did it too late
24. I don’t get discouraged easily
25. I should think more often before acting
26. I have a good lifestyle
27. I eat healthy
28. Sometimes, I let myself be absorbed by a pleasant activity, to the point of neglecting my obligations
29. I often have trouble concentrating
30. I work effectively to achieve my long-term goals
31. Sometimes I can’t help but do something, even if I know it’s wrong
32. I often act without taking the time to weigh the different options
33. I quickly lose patience
34. I frequently interrupt others
35. I sometimes drink too much, or use drugs
36. I am always punctual

Score

95 points or less: low score

96 – 133 points: average score

143 points or more: high score

The higher the score obtained, the greater your self-discipline. A high score indicates a strong ability to to resist temptations, regulate your emotions and adjust your behaviour according to your long-term goals. Over the years, more and more scientific studies attest that a high level of self-control is correlated among other things, to a higher level of education, a better lifestyle, better relationships with others, as well as lower probability of developing addictions. But the reverse excess also exists.

Pushed to the other extreme, self-discipline becomes suffocating: it leads to a joyless existence, governed by obligations. Pleasures are constantly postponed, distractions ignored; just as emotions are not fully felt, and in the end we do not take advantage of the possibilities offered by life. A high degree of self-control goes along with a poorer emotional life. People experience fewer negative emotions, and just as few positive emotions. In addition they are less guided by their emotions, but rather by a sense of obligation. They just run the risk, by pure effort of will, of staying longer than necessary in a position of in a relationship that does not suit them. In the most extreme cases this can lead to burnout.

If your score is low, you can work on it. It is probably the people who have obtained an average score who do best: their self-discipline is generally – sufficient to help them finish their work and to refrain from robbing the refrigerator in the middle of the night, but they are flexible enough to let go when the need arises.

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