Do you give in to temptation?

Is there a way to easily resist temptation? Sure there is.

A long time ago I set myself a goal to read or listen to CDs on personal growth every night for at least one hour, and to read one book a month or one CD course a month.

I admit, when I first started, I used to miss a day every now and then; but, on the whole, I studied at least five nights a week.

Why did I miss a night here and there?

Simple. I gave in to temptation.

After a bit of deliberation, here’s what I learned.

If you have a goal that you’re after, you have to first create a new habit of following through with your commitment to achieve that goal, and for you to do so it is important that you start by resisting temptation.

Refrain from watching a programme on TV, or going to the movies, keep away from socialising with friends, at least until your objective or actions for the day towards the goal have been achieved.

Should you fall prey to persuasion, which might happen from time to time, remember it’s not the end of the world.

Don’t beat yourself up over it.

Even though you have side-stepped your daily goal on that occasion you can still re-commit your intention and start again. After all, you are human and it can take a while for new habits to form.

I know when I first started my goal of studying every night, I used to tell myself that I’d get around to my reading after I watched a certain programme on TV, or after I checked my personal emails.

Although my commitment was there, it was relatively weak, and I kept getting side-tracked.

I was unable to delay the checking of my emails for an hour. I wanted to check them as soon as I got home.

The temptation was strong, and I was unable to resist it.

By not sticking to my daily objective, I found that I was not fully committing myself to my goal.

In the end I got an A4 sheet of paper and wrote in big bold letters:

C.A.N.I.

That’s all I had to do to stay committed and focused, because the abbreviation C.A.N.I. and I made a deep connection.

And up until now, I am happy to say, I have not gone astray. I remained committed and focused and have never given in to temptation.

It’s become a habit.

If you find you are not committing yourself to the goal you set, either go back to the drawing board and be true to yourself or rethink your goal.

Maybe your daily goal was unrealistic to start off with, or perhaps your need for the goal was not strong enough. Or perhaps you needed the ‘right jab’ as with my C.A.N.I. which, by the way, stands for:

Constant And Never-ending Improvement which I learned from Anthony Robbins.

Somehow it resonated with me, and it did so to the extent that I have never missed a night of studying. Ever!

Find your ‘motivating nudge’, resist temptation by focusing on the benefits you will gain from your goal, and imagine how your life will change for the better.

Do not allow yourself to be lured away.

If your WHY for that goal is BIG enough, you will easily resist temptation.