We do many things every day.
Some of them get us closer to our goals, and are connected to what’s most meaningful in our life.
Others – to which we dedicate much more time than we should – are activities that distract us from what’s really important, that make us feel good in the short term but actually worsen our life.
Every morning I go to the kitchen to have breakfast. And most of the times I’m dying to choose biscuits over eggs (which I’m trying to make a permanent choice for breakfast). And sometimes I do. But it doesn’t end there.
For the rest of the day I’m just thinking of the next unhealthy thing I’ll put in my body. Not to mention how bad I feel, how bloated my stomach gets and to what extent I realize that tomorrow I’m going to regret it.
But in the days that I actually choose the healthy option – the one that will help me get fit over time, improve my health, repair my taste buds (as all the junk we eat messes with them) – I feel great.
Yes, I will be challenged again at lunch, or any other time I enter the kitchen. So I can still ruin my daily diet.
But working on one change at a time and making your first meal a healthy one, will have a huge impact on so many areas of your life after some time.
So how do you make yourself go for the eggs? What is it that makes you have some limits, resist temptations and think long term?
Setting your priorities straight
It means knowing what you want in life, having your goals and dreams in mind all the time.
Constantly reminding yourself of them and realizing that what the chocolate you’ve been thinking of for the last few hours will give you is instant pleasure that will last for a short time. So it’s not worth it at all and will only make you more miserable.
It’s all in your head.
Making changes in your environment so that you can start doing only the right things doesn’t really help.
Yes, getting rid of the junk food at home will make it easier. But you’ll still have to resist the temptation to buy something when you go out, or else.
Know deep inside that every little choice you make throughout the day shapes your future, you as a person and how you feel about yourself.
Try to really grasp how important it is to stay true to your beliefs in the face of momentous pleasures.
I’m not talking about self-control and willpower here. I’m not trying to tell you to lie to yourself so that you can resist urges.
These play a role too, sure. They may be easier for you. But they are all things you can use up that make you feel emptier after that.
What I want to say with this post is that a strong conviction is what creates the outcome of your actions.
If when opening the fridge you can see both the eggs and the junk food that looks incredibly delicious, you immediately think of how important your health is, how good you may look in the summer, how proud and fresh you’ll feel later in the day, you’ve won the battle even before eating the meal.
It means that your priority in this situation is health, being fit and feeling great in your skin.
And you know that you have many other habits and do a lot of stuff in one day, but this time you divide them into two categories: things that are good for you (that you need to be doing in order to get closer to what you desire or keep what’s important), and things that are bad.
You’re now completely aware that the eggs are what you want and no outer factor can change that.
I may fail later. I may make the wrong choice in a few hours. But after that I’ll feel bad, will get tired of all that and will remind myself of my priorities again.
Until then, I know I’m on the right track.
So what’s most important to you?
And what sacrifices are you willing to make today?