Last updated: January 5, 2018 at 1:38 am
Avoiding temptations can often be extraordinarily difficult, but there are ways to make resisting them easier for yourself. Possibly one of the best ways is simply to refuse to even be around the temptations in the first place. You could have the best self-control in the world, but if you are around a temptation and that temptation is overwhelming for you, you might give into it. On the other hand, you might have terrible self-control, but if you are not even around something which is a temptation for you, there is no way you could give into it.
Here are 2 definitions of to tempt from The Project Gutenberg EBook of Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary.
1. To put to trial; to prove; to test; to try.
2. To lead, or endeavor to lead, into evil; to entice to what is wrong; to seduce.
What Are Temptations?
Now, a temptation doesn’t have to be evil. A temptation could just be something that if you give into it, you might later regret having done that action. Examples: overeating, overspending, playing games when you should be doing something else etc. Something which is a temptation for one person might not be for another person. You have to know what things are temptations for you before you can stop indulging in them.
One Of My Biggest Temptations
One of my biggest temptations is impulsively buying used books at thrift stores or at a decent used book stores. Once I am in a thrift store, and I find a good used book, it is extremely difficult for me to refuse to buy it. The sad thing is, I might end up never having time to read it, so it might be a waste of money, and I also might regret the purchase even 1 day later.
Just recently, I tested the idea of simply refusing to be around the temptation, and I have found that it is far easier to just refuse to even go into the store than to go into the store and then try not to do impulsive buying.
Advice For Avoiding Temptations
There are some people who say to just wait a few days until making a purchase. This strategy can certainly help cut down on impulsive buying, but I think that simply not even going into the store would be the best option, and the easiest, if your goal is to avoid impulsive buying.
We can’t avoid temptations 100% of the time, but we can consciously choose not to give into them. Self-control is a marvelous thing humans can train themselves to have. It certainly doesn’t come easily for most though. Like any skill, we can train ourselves to have better self-control through practice. That being said, I still believe that it is better to avoid temptations in the first place than to cause yourself to suffer unnecessarily.
In conclusion, the two biggest ways things we have in our arsenal dealing with temptations are self-control and simply avoiding the temptations all together. Giving into a temptation might give you temporary pleasure, but you would probably have more pain in the long run. I have tried avoiding temptations in the first place before, and that strategy worked well for me. I recommend all of you try this strategy. What did you think of this article? Do you have anything to add or do you disagree with anything? Let’s have a conversation in the comments below.