Forever Skills

10Self-control

In the end, all we are really in control of is the realm of our own minds.

Imogen Quinn is an extraordinary young woman. She picked up a virus overseas when she was fourteen, and by the time she was in her final year of school, her health had deteriorated to such an extent, that at times she was non-verbal and non-mobile. She has pervasive brain fog, pain and debilitating exhaustion, and while most young people her age were cramming for exams, socialising and planning life beyond school, Imogen was requiring assistance to effectively communicate and do the most basic of tasks.

‘I know I should know how to read the words, but I don’t,’ she told us with a calmness and acceptance that is inspiring. When we asked her what she was learning about herself she was unbelievably poised and articulate, and has a perspective few adults would demonstrate in such a challenging time. a

Her mum calls it ‘grace’ and Imogen has it in copious quantities. She is strong and quietly determined. She doesn’t complain. She focuses on the work she is doing and the progress she is making. She is graceful about it.

Imogen teaches us all that the ability to deal with the situation you find yourself in with humility, acceptance (not defeatism) and self-control, is critical to our mental and emotional stability.

This control over her emotions and expectations, and the enduring patience she has embraced, enable her to move forward, to not get stuck in the unfairness of it all. In fact, the ...