Few weeks ago, I had a meeting with a few of my High School friends in Las Vegas. Two of them I am very proud of. They are medical doctors. I believe we talked about almost anything and used the late hours enjoying ourselves, reminiscing the good old days. However late in the night, the topic was our health. And so, I took the opportunity to get some free health advice from them. After telling them about my low HDL (good cholesterol level), I was told that I should make sure I watch my diet and not to neglect my exercise. I also needed to decrease my waist line of 36 to 30. And so, with determination, I embarked on being more careful with what I eat. Two weeks have passed and am happy to report that I am still careful.
However, the funny thing happened the other night. While watching the television, a friend of mine opened a box of Cheese-it. You know that kind right? Hmmmm. Crackers that are so cheesy, and so yummy. Without realizing it, I extended my hand towards him asking for some. Though I was a few feet away, I could not resist the smell! Minutes passed and I realized I probably have eaten twenty pieces of cheese-it. How easy it is to be tempted.
I am sure you have experienced the same. Have you ever a seen a commercial on TV and watched a food advertisement on television and suddenly feeling hungry? A funny observation I have is that whenever I cough around people, suddenly, someone else cough after me. Somehow when you hear someone cough, you suddenly feel the need to clear your throat. In fact, just a second ago, as I was writing about clearing our throat, I coughed. The same thing happens when you watch someone release a big yawn and feel the urge to yawn yourself.
Our minds are tricky. The power of suggestion works mightily within our mind. We naturally move toward whatever our attention is focused on. The more we think about something, the stronger it takes hold of us, which is why the good book teaches that we should, "Run from anything that stimulates lusts…” It just shows that temptation is an elusive thing. We shouldn’t flirt with it. It is deceptive. On the outside it looks good, attractive and delicious like that cheese-it.
Here is a lesson I learned from these. Repeating, "I must stop eating too much . . . or stop smoking . . . or stop lusting" does not work well. It is actually a self-defeating strategy. It keeps me focused on what I don’t want. It's like declaring, "I'm never going to do what I am thinking.” I am setting myself up to repeat it because it is those things that we think and have a feeling for that we often end up doing.
Whether it is dieting that we want to do or stop smoking, we need to understand that temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets our attention arouses our emotions. Emotions are powerful, too. They activate our behavior, and unknowingly, we act on what we feel. Hence, I ate the cheese-its because I was not careful. The cheesy smell tempted me and I fell for it. I did not guard my mind.
Not allowing temptation to begin is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. So when temptation calls you on the phone, don't argue with it, just hang up! If it knocks on the door, don’t invite it for dinner. It is wiser to cut short the temptation in the early stage than wait when it has totally captivated you.
I know I can only speak for myself. But here is something I have learned. Oftentimes this means that it is wise to physically leave a tempting situation. If one has a problem with alcohol, it is better for that person to stay away from situations where alcohol is. If you are like me, whose weakness is a little cheesy cracker, stay away from it. Usually, I advise people to not run away from their problems to solve them. Oh well, this is one time it is okay to run away. There may be times when it is clever to get up and turn off the television set if it tempts you. It is often I tell my kids. Walk away from those who may be leading you to do just the wrong things. Be careful and not dwell on thoughts that may make you stumble. That elusive waist size of 30? I need more discipline to reign over my temptations to make it possible.
