Embrace delay. Build character

Deliberately delaying one's candidature for any event/gratification in the day helps build character because it tests one's abilities against the factor of crunching time. Example: Letting someone else take that coffee ahead of you, holding the door and letting the person behind you pass first, let other person speak first and put forth the point, let the person behind you go through security check first, delay consuming a tempting food by 5 minutes, watching that facebook post/whatsapp a tad later than the tempted time.

Dr Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin: Self-control has been called the "master virtue" by clinical and social psychologists, suggesting that the ability to delay gratification plays a critical role in a person's overall psychological adjustment. People with better ability to delay gratification report higher wellbeing, self-esteem and openness to experience, as well as more productive ways of responding to anger and other provocations.

An experiment of delayed gratification has also show strong co-relation with ethics and morality in adults.

Dr David Brooks also expands on these self-moderations as necessary ingredients for building character.

We know from ancient wisdom that these coincide with niyama from Ashtanga Yoga and panchvidha niyama from Buddhism.

(Obviously such delays to be exercised with discretion so as to not jeopardize the space of non-negotiable timelines. Over time and with practice, even these spaces can be handled better.)

Breathe India: Daily Tiny Acts to make India happy-healthy-together.