#TOW — Temptations
Have you ever tried to give up smoking?
Have you ever tried to go on a diet?
Have you ever told yourself that you’re going to start going to the gym?
Or that you’ll drink less alcohol?
If you’ve tried to do any of these things, and failed, you should know that one of the biggest reasons for your lack of success is all the temptations that surround us, entice us and deter us from achieving our goals. How can we reduce our intake of food when we’re surrounded by so many tempting choices, tastes and aromas?! How can we quit smoking when doing so would mean the end of one of our morning rituals — coffee with our colleagues? Or to stay disciplined while everyone’s enjoying a cigarette with their drink?
Temptation is defined as the “feeling or desire to do something or have something, even though you know you should avoid it” — Collins Dictionary. According to Google Dictionary, temptation is the “desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise”. Meanwhile, in a religious context, temptations are associated with sin.
In any case, temptations distract us from realising our goals and plans, as well as from the potential for personal development. They especially affect the achievement of our long-term benefits, because they only satisfy some momentary impulse or urge.
When talking about this issue, it is usually said that the problem is not the temptations themselves (they exist and always will), but how we react to them! The fundamental characteristic that affects how we react to temptations is self-control. In other words, how strong we are (mentally and emotionally) in withstanding the enticing challenges all around us.
SELF-CONTROL ≠ TEMPTATIONS
Here’s some advice on how to more easily deal with temptations:
- Acceptance: accept that temptations exist and will always exist. You can’t escape them — the only thing you can do is learn how better to deal with them.
- Strategy / Plan: you can’t simply say “Starting tomorrow, I’m not doing that anymore”. You could, but it would be more effective to have a plan of action. Firstly, list the temptations that bother you, then analyse where your weaknesses originate from in relation to them, and then draw up a plan (actions) to deal with them. Start by setting easily achievable goals (targets).
- Conscious avoidance: avoid situations, places and people that you know are likely to expose you to certain temptations.
- Redirection: redirect your energy. If you want to give up something, you need to redirect yourself to something else, i.e. find yourself another thing to do instead.
- Strengthen the mind: meditation, yoga and other Eastern practices.
- Perseverance / Motivation: be persistent. Don’t quit. Try to find motivation in something that will stimulate you to not give up.
- Self-control: in any case, the most important factor we all need to work on is strengthening our self-control. The majority of the aforementioned points are concerned precisely with that, but of course it’s not easy to resolve such a major topic in just a few words. That’s why everyone should make their own personal system (strategy) in order to strengthen their mental and emotional control.
Of course, all of the above is if you have a problem with certain temptations and they’re making you, and perhaps others around you, suffer. However, if you take pleasure from them and they’re not a problem, or you’re someone who easily resists all kinds of temptation, then none of this text applies to you.
Wishing you success with the changes to come,
Petar Lazarov
“Tip of the Week” Team member
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