Self Control? Part 1

So, can Tai Chi actually help people improve their self control?  This is an interesting question because many of the people I talk to say that they don't think they have enough self control to study something like Tai Chi.  There seems to be a common belief that self control is a prerequisite to studying a peaceful calming art like Tai Chi.....well, I'm here to suggest that the opposite may be true. 

I have seen many people who lacked greatly in self control when they began to study Tai Chi, or other similar arts, slowly begin to become more and more calm, collected, and self controlled in their approach to life.  They began to focus more clearly on actions and the outcomes of those actions.  They eventually became more and more consistent with making good choices in areas where they normally would have chosen poorly.....even if they knew the outcome of a poor choice would be extremely undesirable.  Everything from eating habits, to sleeping habits, to work ethics all seemed to be improved after consistently studying Tai Chi, or similar meditative arts, over varying periods of time.

Why is that?  What brought about these changes?  Is there some kind of magic to Tai Chi that caused them to change or is there a sensible reason for these changes that can be explained?  Check back in the near future for "Part 2" of this post to find out some of the possible answers and see if Tai Chi could possibly help someone you know make better life choices.  :)