Are you a Moderator or an Abstainer, When Trying to Give Something Up?

Lunch Time...Yummy in the Tummy

We feel so great when we:

-Exercise regularly 

-Eat Healthy

-Keep a promise to ourselves

-Wake up early to get to the gym

-Get out of debt

One of the great mysteries of happiness is: why don't we do the things that we know will make us happy? Why do we skip exercising? Why do we eat two doughnuts for breakfast? Why do we buy that thing we don't really need? Etc.

A piece of advice I often see is, “Be moderate. Don’t have ice cream every night, but if you try to deny yourself altogether, you’ll fall off the wagon. Allow yourself to have the occasional treat, it will help you stick to your plan.”

I’ve come to believe that this is good advice for some people: the “moderators.” They do better when they try to make moderate changes, when they avoid absolutes and bright lines.

For a long time, I kept trying this strategy of moderation – and failing. Then I read a line from Samuel Johnson: “Abstinence is as easy to me as temperance would be difficult.” Ah ha! Like Dr. Johnson, I’m an “abstainer.”

Taken from: Happiness Project

Which one are you?

You’re a moderator if you…

-- find that occasional indulgence heightens your pleasure 

– and strengthens your resolve

-- get panicky at the thought of “never” getting or doing something

You’re an abstainer if you…
-- have trouble stopping something once you’ve started
-- aren’t tempted by things that you’ve decided are off-limits

-RECCO Time-

What about changing your perspective?! How about switching a bad habit with a good habit? More Water Less Soda...Turn off the TV and open a book...Stretch vs. Sit.

Instead on focusing what YOU are giving up. Focus on what YOU are going to do instead.

It cracks me up when Lent rolls around and people focus on what to give up for 40 days...How about what to add for 40 days???

Or how about when YOU are about to start a Paleo challenge and YOU freak out because YOU 'HAVE' to give up this and give up that?! And YOU go PIG OUT the week before!!! Not that there is anything wrong with that...HA!

Whew...okay got that out of my system:-D

What is the best approach that keeps you on track with your goals?

P.T.S!