Avoid Whatever Your "It" Is That Tempts You

We can’t stop ourselves from consuming things we know we shouldn’t. Which is at the root of all of our problems. Which is why the best way to not do that is to stay as far away from them as you possibly can. Don’t keep it in your house. Don’t go to places that have it. Don’t hang out with people who do it. “It” is whatever you’re imagining it to be. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, processed food, sugary food, fried food (aka, food that isn’t food). 

Whatever “it” is to you, stay away from it. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you’re going to be tempted to do it. It feels too good. It tastes too good. It is too hard to not do when you’re around it. 

But that’s the problem. Temptation lurks around every corner. At every dinner table. At every house. At every store. It even lurks at historically safe space like the doctors office and the hospital. 

We’re simple creatures. We want to feel good right now. We want relief immediately. We don’t want to feel uncomfortable now, and wait to feel good later. Especially when we know that right now is possible. We’ll deal with the issue later. Address it when we need to.

So that’s what all of the products and substances prey on. The need to feel gratified right now. Phones, screens, apps. Drugs and alcohol. Medications. Supplements. Food that isn’t food. They prey on the innate desire to fix right now, but they ignore what’s really wrong. They put a mask on it. A band-aid. They provide temporary relief that ignores the problem.

But eventually the problem grows too big and the mask no longer works. And by then it’s too late. Time has run out. The problem has grown too big and even a real solution with no longer suffice.

Avoid it. Address the problem.