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How to Fight Temptations to Achieve My Goals
Last week I was talking about how temptation can keep us from our goals. If you haven’t read that blog yet, here it is. This week, let’s chat about overcoming and how to fight temptations to stay on track with our goals. I am working through the book Purpose Driven Life where I was inspired by the topic of temptation and how it drives us. See, I think we are all tempted away from what we want on a daily basis. It’s so easy to “give in” to our old habits and our comfort zone then to push past where we are to get to where we want to be. Temptation all starts in my mind. Often I think we are tempted by others and they lead us on a path we wouldn’t ultimately take. But, as I am also going through Tony Robbin’s Ultimate Edge CDs, I am realizing temptation is simply my mind and my daily thoughts. … Continue reading →
Is temptation keeping you from your goals?
As I go through and review my past year and my goals, I have to look at what held me back. One thing I am asking, what temptations do I give into? How can I stop myself from letting temptation keep me from my goals?
What is temptation?
First, what really is temptation? A Google definition…
temp·ta·tion
tem(p)ˈtāSH(ə)n/
noun: temptation; plural noun: temptation
1. a desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise.
- “he resisted the temptation to call Celia at the office”
2. a thing or course of action that attracts or tempts someone.
“the temptations of life in New York”
3. the tempting of Jesus by the Devil (see Matt. 4).
What does this mean to me?
A desire to do something, especially if wrong or unwise. When we are faced with a goal, say to lose weight… temptation is everywhere. Hanging out with our friends for a party and having a piece of cake or a glass of wine or skipping the gym. It could be as simple as grabbing a donut or cookies in the office kitchen area. Often the temptation is so habitual and unnoticed in the moment, that we quickly forget our bigger goal… to lose weight. We all know that these little bits of food we want now or skipping the gym don’t help us get to where we want to be. It’s so easily “distracted” from our desires that we don’t even realize the temptations around us.
Our temptations destroy us from what we truly want. But, it can strengthen us when we push past giving in to them. We are always tempted to stray. The challenge is staying stronger.
Often in the beginning of a goal, we struggle to keep going. That is when the temptation is strongest. Once we start seeing results and momentum kicks in, our ability to fight temptation becomes much easier. Always remember… We are stronger then temptations and we are stronger then the will to give in. That we always need to be challenged to become better. It is part of life and makes us better as we grow. So… don’t fret, don’t be upset, don’t worry if you do give into temptation. It’s always going to be there and always going to pull you towards it. Just realize it, pick yourself up and keep going. Your goals are worth it and the “devil” will not win.
Peace vs Chaos when chasing our goals.
When life goes as planned, we find peace. Do you ever feel when you are on a roll towards reaching our goals, you feel good and peaceful. For example, if you are working out everyday it is just a habit. That often it is almost the exact opposite when you miss a day… your life seems chaotic and “off.”
Can you review your goals and figure out what is peaceful and why or what causes chaos?
I know when I have a business goal (or a financial goal) for the month, and I am on track to meeting it…. life is grand and I feel on fire. The end of the month is peaceful and I can easily sleep at night. But man, if I am having a rough month, that end of month push to meet my goal really brings with it chaos, stress, and overwhelm. I am up all night trying to figure out how I will meet my goal. Life is a “struggle”.
I try and review the good months: What went right. I compare it to the off months: What went wrong. How can I avoid the stress and chaos? Often I need to review what temptation was keeping me from my goal … I took to many days off to hang out with friends, or it was easy to ignore the phone calls I needed to make to play with my new puppy. I started the month strong, so slacked thinking the rest of the month would be just as good (temptation of fun won over work).
How does temptation work against our goals?
See, all temptation basically follows a four (4) step process. Learning it, we can start to pay attention to where we get caught in it.
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- A desire arises within us. We might have a desire for revenge, we might want to try and control others/a situation. Or it might be a desire to be loved or feel pleasure (eating that donut is a pleasure right.)Temptation always starts as a thought. How will you “give in” to a “wrong” time/situation that will pull you away from your goal. What is your mind saying… It’s only 1 donut. You deserve a night out with your friends. It will be fun. It will make you feel better.This temptation always begins with our mind. Something is attracting us away from what we want. It’s truly not the circumstances, it’s our mind saying… it is ok if I do…. We need to start paying attention to the thoughts that are pulling us away from what we want. Why is our mind tempting us?
- Beginning to feel doubt. We start doubting what we know. Skipping one day at the gym won’t make a difference. It’s ok to take a day off because tomorrow I will get more done. I deserve to be happy, and this makes me happy.Be careful that you don’t doubt what you know. For me, a day off at the gym can easily lead to 2 or 3. Eating a sugar today can quickly lead to craving more sugar. Not working today on my business doesn’t mean tomorrow I will work harder. I know these things, yet temptation is keeping me from my goal and saying… it’s ok, you are ok to give in.
- Watch out for deception. Watch your mind start lying to you. Remember, you always have to fight temptation. It might start saying… You will be fine. You won’t notice that donut. No one will ever know. Everyone else is doing it. There is that saying,… What happens in the dark eventually shows up in the light. You can never get results in your weight loss if you don’t stop eating awful on a regular basis. Again, pay attention to what your mind is saying to you. You are smarter and stronger and won’t give into that “devil” on your shoulder whispering the lies to you.
- Giving in to disobedience. If you get all 3 of the above, you finally cave. You give in. You created a behavior. Temptation has won and is starting to keep you from your goal.
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How does temptation keep you from your goals?
Can you see a cycle? If you sit back and review your goals you set for the week/month/year, can you ask… What temptations have I given in to? What were the desires that arose? How did doubt play it’s roles? What were the lies I told myself it was ok? How long did it take to go through these 4 stepsSometimes, it is days/weeks to give in to the temptation. Maybe you are on a no spend month, and your first week works great, but you have this desire to buy a new “toy” you have been eyeing. You don’t buy it the first week, you stayed committed to your goal. But, everyday you had doubts, if I bought this it would help me with this and that is a good “investment”. You start questioning why NOT having it is bad. Then you start lying to yourself. It’s ok, the last 2 weeks I didn’t spend any money so I can afford to buy this. You quickly are forgetting your bigger goal to save money and not spend money for the month. The temptations are helping you doubt your decisions to not “get it now”. You lie to yourself it’s ok… Finally by the end of the month, you cave in and just buy it. Temptation won in this case, but it took awhile.
Then temptation can keep us from our goals quickly. We walk into the break room at work and see someone brought the donuts and you just grab one. The thought was placed in your mind as soon as you walked in the room. You easily doubted that it would make a difference to your diet. You said, its just one and I will be fine and eat clean the rest of the day. Suddenly, that first bite is gone. Your temptation won in just a few moments.
My Create An Amazing Life Challenge for you this week.
Start reviewing your goals, and what temptations you tend to give into. Is it people related? Are the situational? Is it in time of stress? Can you see your goal and what is pulling you away? Start a list, journal about it. Pay attention to you and your actions. Realize the 4 steps and how easily they are for you to give in. It’s a start to fighting your temptation. Next week, let’s chat more on how to fight back. How to tell that devil on your shoulder he will not win. That what you want for yourself, your life is much stronger then his whispers in your ear.
You got this! I am realizing temptation is all around us. I am starting to “turn them off” and I know you can too. Swing by my Instagram page and say hi. I would love to hear what is one of your biggest temptations keeping you from your goal. Let’s start a conversation here on this post. I know that you aren’t alone in facing these little devils whispering in our ears, together we can fight them and tell them to go away.
Want more goal setting tips and an action plan? Grab my free goal action planner gift for you here.
My goal is to share easy tips you can implement now to get you to where you want to be. I believe we are always on the search for a Mind, Body, Soulful balance and I hope I can help you find your peace and reach your goals. Now, go out and Create YOUR Amazing Life!
Personal Achievement Goal Setting Workbook for 2018
I am so passionately about setting goals for your future, because I know that writing them down helps you achieve them. That is why, I am writing today as a friendly reminder that my favorite personal achievement goal setting workbook, Your Best Year 2018, is out and the sale is ending soon. There’s so much potential in the air this time of year, and I love channeling that energy into real results. I know you will too! In 2018, I want you to find and embrace your unlimited potential. I want you to complete whatever it is you set out to accomplish. I want you to obliterate time-wasting inefficiencies, mindless busywork, and bad habits. This is the toolbox that will help you do all that and more. Beloved by 50,000+ entrepreneurs, this best-selling Business Workbook is now also available as a Life Planner (two editions!). For years, non-business owners have purchased the book, skipped over the entrepreneurial stuff, and applied the same proven systems and methods to … Continue reading →
My Secret Weapon for Success for Setting Goals for 2018
Welcome to the holiday season! It’s that time of year again, and I can feel the excitement in the air. End-year celebrations are just around the corner, and today I have a special treat to share! I want to share my secret weapon of success and setting goals for 2018. Every December, I hunker down with my favorite goal-setting workbook to review the year I’m in and plan the one ahead. There’s so much potential in the season, it’s almost tangible, and I love channeling that excitement into real results. Contrary to popular belief, NOW is the time to do so—not January 1, and not after the New Year begins. New Year energy is extremely frenetic. Meaning, it’s hyperactive, unruly and wild. It’s fueled by the unlimited potential we see in the clean slate of a fresh calendar. While there’s a lot of good intention behind it, that energy has a short life span and quickly feels more agitating than motivating. This is the reason … Continue reading →
Am I willing to pay the price to obtain my goal?
Since it is a new month, I took time in my bullet journal planner to write out my goals. I try and find a balance of a few business and personal to keep that mind, body, soulful balance in my life. But, that lead me to think of how much do I follow through on what I want? Am I willing to pay the price to obtain my goal? How important is your goal? Meaning… How many times have I written in my journal… Hit the gym/eat better and lose weight. Yet… I still haven’t gone back to the gym. I keep procrastinating and pushing it off. Is it that the goal really isn’t that important to me or am I just not willing to pay the price needed to reach it? What is the price I need to pay to obtain my goal? See, every goal has a price. Something we have to “give up” to help us reach … Continue reading →
25 Easy Ways to find more ME Time
This year has been a tough year for me, especially in the last month. Both our cars were hit in a late night incident back in February. I very long, stressful, costly journey. Then just after finally that came to close, our dog (Romeo) passed away. He was my baby, and the loss of him was very hard on me. I was starting to see so much of the negative in life, that the I needed to find Me Time and figure out my life and what makes ME happy. Why I Need to Find Me Time What I learned in the last month, is you need to simply take time for you. Self care aka… ME TIME… is so important to our well being. I know we have family, health, business activities to focus on and our daily to do list is super long and never ending. When you have “problems” that arise in life, we tend to … Continue reading →
Is it Time to Lean in More Towards Your Goals?
Do you ever have goals you want to accomplish but just seem to struggle to get started? Have you been dreaming of starting something, but you’re not quiet sure how so you are procrastinating on moving forward. Do fears of will this work for me just make you doubt your dream so you just keep it hidden inside with no action towards it? Maybe it is time to lean in more towards your goals and dreams. Why is now the time to lean in more towards your goals? Change with everything starts when we do something. When we learn to “lean into them”. Meaning, we have this gut feeling of desire to do something/have more. But we aren’t sure how to get there, will it work…. so we sit on it and doubt ourselves and our dreams. Maybe if we just take a moment and trust ourselves and lean in a tad bit towards it, we can actually get to … Continue reading →
Time to Clean Up, Declutter My Life and COMPLETE “all things”
I love fall and the change of the seasons. Here all the leaves are starting to change colors and slowly fall from the trees. It is kind of a sad time as we move towards winter were everything is “dead” looking. But, I like to think of it like this. This is the season to change. The trees drop their leaves and hibernate but come back in spring fully refreshed and ready to bring life into the world again. This is the time to declutter my life so I can come back new and refreshed in the new year. Life is about the seasons, but let’s ask… how often do you go through a period of “change” and reflection to start a new phase of brining growth and opportunity into our life? Today’s message is to help us bring ring in the new year with abundance to get all that we want, we need to stop and clean up, declutter … Continue reading →
Hidden secrets your role model is teaching you
I am always about chasing goals and trying to stay on track to reaching my dreams. I also believe in always being a student and learning because when we take time to read a book, listen to a podcast, go to a class… we only become more knowledgable. Then if we implement what we learn, we can grow from it and push us closer to what we want. But, having a role model, following someone that has what we want to have can really help guide us to our success. Do you know you can learn tons of hidden secrets from your role model?? Who is My Role Model? No matter what our goal (lose weight, get out of debt, build a business), we probably follow people who share tips and advice on the subject we want to get better in. They often have what we dream of having (perfect body, eat healthy, successful business, rich and live a good … Continue reading →
7 Kitchen Must Haves to Simple Cooking
Since starting the Metabolism Plan (read my story here) I find myself in the kitchen much more then I have in ages. Since I actually love to cook, I just don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen making meals. I have found 7 kitchen must haves to simple cooking. With these gadgets and appliances you will learn to love to cook healthy meals for you and your family too!!!! Today, I want to share a few tools that I highly recommend to anyone who is looking to eat healthier. These are essentials I found for my kitchen to follow plans like Whole 30, Paleo, and the Metabolism Plan or really any healthy eating plan you are following. Each of these items make my life simple and reduce my time in the kitchen. Kitchen Must Haves to Simply Cooking 1. I highly recommend a few cookbooks are in your kitchen. I think that if you find a cookbook that … Continue reading →