When you think about what tempts you what comes to your mind? Are you thinking about that cupcake that you wish you didn’t eat? Does your mind wander to the invitations you accept that take you away from the projects you know you need to do? Is it the snooze button that can turn your relaxing morning with a cup of coffee into a hectic rush or is it a habit you’re trying to change like those cigarettes you want to quit or sitting on the couch instead of keeping your promise to add some exercise into your life?
    Temptations are everywhere. I just wonder why it is that temptations so often lead us to want what we wish we didn’t. Why can’t the bowl of fresh blueberries tempt me as much as that chocolate cupcake? How can I make spending time on my yoga mat tempt me as much as hitting that snooze button two more times? What can I do to make a good walk after work feel as good as walking into my house and sitting on the sofa?
    For me changing what tempts me starts with understanding exactly what temptation really is. When I ask Google to “define temptation” I get the definition I expect. Temptation is “the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise.” With this definition is it any wonder why temptation leads us astray from the choices we would prefer to want? According to this, temptation’s primary role is to lead us away from what is best and wise for us, but that isn’t all temptation does.
    According to Webster’s dictionary temptation’s primary definition is simply “a strong urge or desire to have or do something.” Yay, could this mean it is possible for my yoga mat to tempt me to get out of bed more than the snooze button tempts me to stay there? Not quite because even after seeing the possibility that temptation can urge me towards better decisions hitting that snooze button, biting into that cupcake, and sitting on that sofa still sound like they’ll feel pretty good.
    Does this mean that we will have to fight temptation’s power to make us want things that are “wrong or unwise” forever? Are faith and will power the only things that can help us choose what is best for us? No. We do not have to fight what tempts us to want what we wish we didn’t. There is another way to look at temptation.
    We can see the things that tempt us to want what is “wrong or unwise” as our personal guides and barometers. We can realize that these temptations are not here to help us make choices that we will regret. They are here to help us take a breath and realize how much we Love our selves.
    Temptations give us the opportunity to choose what will help us become our best selves. The best part: the more I realize everything that tempts me is a gift the more good things tempt me. Cherry tomatoes are almost always more tempting than a cupcake. My yoga mat and I are seeing each other more and the snooze button is only being hit when I really need the extra zzzs.
    I look forward to hearing how you find ways to make what tempts you serve you better. Please give me a ring at 781-331-5308, email me at kristan@mooneytunco.com, or better yet join the conversation on the Lets Chat Blog at www.nomispublications.com.