The Self Government Principle of
Temper
“It is better to be slow-tempered than famous.” Proverbs 16:32
By John E. Schrock, Businessman
Underline the key concepts found in this
principle.
We sh ou l d t a k e n ot i ce t h a t i t
i s n ot wr on g t o h a ve a t e mp e r .
Temp e r i s t h e dr i vi n g f or ce i n
u s. It i s t h e di f fe r e n ce b e t we e n
t h e st r on g a n d t h e we a k . Man y
p eop l e a sk G od t o t a k e a wa y
t h ei r t e mp er . Th a t i s wr on g —
ou r t emp e r i s a g i f t of st r e n g t h ,
an d we sh ou l d t h an k G od f or i t .
Most en t r e p r en e u r s h ave a h i g h
temper that gives them the
en e r g y a n d dr i ve t o r e ach t h e i r
g oa l s a n d p u r p ose i n l i f e .
Temp er i s l i k e g a sol i n e — t h e
h i g h e r t h e t emp e r , t h e h i g h e r
t h e oct an e or va l u e . Bot h can
b e ex p l osi ve a n d dan g e r ou s. If
we ar e n ot ca r e f u l an d i n con t r ol of t h e g a sol i n e , i t ma y b u r n
ou r h ou se s dow n , b u t , i t ca n
al so b e ve r y u se f u l a n d va l u able. God tells us to “...be
a n g r y b u t si n n ot , ” me a n i n g we
should not discard things
b ecau se t h e y a r e da n g e r ou s, b u t
we sh ou l d set r u l e s of sa f e t y so
t h at we ca n mak e g ood u se of
t h eir va lu e.
t h i n g s, or say wor ds t h at wi l l
de st r oy r e l a t i on sh i p s a n d l ose
cr e di b i l i t y i n ou r commu n i t y .
e x e r ci se p r og r a ms. Bu r n i n g
u p cal or i e s ca l ms down ou r
an g e r .
So, wh e n we fe e l i t comi n g
u p , we mu st t h i n k a b ou t wh a t
we ar e a b ou t t o do, an d wh a t
ef f ect i t wi l l h a ve on u s an d on
t h ose a r ou n d u s. Th a t i s man a g i n g ou r t e mp e r a n d u si n g i t s
energy in a positive way.
Su cce ssfu l p e op l e u su al l y h a ve
high tempers, but they have
le ar n e d to t hin k be for e t he y r e ac t.
That is why they become
fa mou s an d a r e k n own a s wi se
me n .
Con t r ol l i n g ou r t e mp e r
b u i l ds ch a r a ct e r a n d cr e di b i l i t y . So, h ow can we ma n a g e ou r
explosive tempers?
Consider
t h e f ol l owi n g :
Al l g ood me n k n ow wh at i t i s
t o h ave a t e mp e r , b u t t h e y al so
know how to discipline it.
Eve n p l a n t s, t r ee s an d f l ower s
h ave t o h a ve t h e i r wi l d g r owt h
(temper) trimmed in order to
b e ar fr u i t . An y t h i n g t h at h as
va l u e n e e ds t o b e man a g e d an d
controlled, otherwise, it will
l ose i t s val u e .
1 . Al wa y s b e awa r e of i t s p ot e n t i al da n g e r .
2 . Al wa y s con si de r t h e cost of
y ou r r e a ct i on s.
3 . Se e t h e va l u e of y ou r t e mp e r ,
and make good use of the
energy.
4. Release the excess energy
t h r ou g h comp e t i t i ve sp or t s or
Likewise,
our
thoughts
sh ou l d n ot b e t o g e t rid of ou r
t emp er , b ut t o con t rol i t . Slow
it down— don ’t le t it sli p . Ma k e
rules of sa fe t y a n d g e t t h e va lu e
of t h e e ne rg y it cre at e s. W h e n
w e a re ang r y w e a re st ron g e r;
we can work harder and get
mor e t hi ng s don e . It n ot on l y
af fect s t h e mi nd, b u t e n e rg iz e s
ou r en t i r e b ody a s w e ll . Bu t
t h en, w i t h t hi s sa me e n e r g y w e
may become destructive.
We
may hit someone or break
La Red Business Network
Evaluate yourself
from 1 to 10
So, b e t h an k fu l f or y ou r t e mp e r . Don ’t l e t i t h e at u p t oo
fast or you will burn those
a r ou n d y ou . S-L- O -W i t down .
Use t h e h e a t t o war m t h e col d
h e a r t s a r ou n d y ou , a n d y ou wi l l
b e come k n own a s a wi se man ,
i n con t r ol of y ou r se l f .
This principle is part of the one year character
development program:
Foundations For Achievement.
Thoughts to Ponder:
Temper is a gift, only if we don’t
have to say “I’m sorry”.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Why did you give
yourself this rating
What benefits will you obtain by
raising your rating?
What specific action can you put
into practice to test the benefits
of this principle?
Check list for the daily reading of
this principle
Completed
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
Not completed
www.lared.org
SG - 9
rev. 09.2003