Self-control is proving to be a crucial skill for all children to learn at a young age. A paper published last January in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences touted self-control as the main predictor of future success. Children in the study that showed self-control throughout their childhood were more likely to be healthy, financially stable, and law-abiding as adults. Click here for link to the study. Another recent study in the Journal of Personality showed that the highly self-controlled show a distinct difference from those with less discipline over their lives. They tended to avoid creating situations in which their goals would conflict, and reported fewer instances of having to choose between short-term pleasure and long-term pain. The result? They experienced fewer negative emotions and were happier overall. The authors write that “one interpretation of this finding is that people use self-control to set up their lives so as to avoid problems.” Lesson One puts a major emphasis on teaching self-control and helping children take ownership of their actions as they learn and grow into successful adults.