Eliminating Temptation in ONE Easy Step

Now, I know that's a mighty big promise. And you're not reading a back issue of the Weekly World News where the next article is about Batboy mating with the alien chick. Nope. This is a one-step primer for how to totally eliminate all tempation from your life. But before we get rid of it, let's define it.

“If you would not step into the harlot’s house, do not go by the harlot’s door.” -Thomas Secker

I read this quote and it rather struck me. How many things does that apply to? If you don’t want to eat the cookies, you don’t hang out near the cookie jar. Whatever your personal “cookies” are.

It’s about what you’re focusing on. If you constantly toy with the idea of stuff you say you don’t want to do, you’re on your way to doing it. I’ve said it a million times, so now it’s a million and one: you get what you focus on!

For example, don’t want to drink? Then don’t hang out at the bar, studying the issue.  Don’t want to pack on a couple of pounds cookie weight? Then steer clear of the cookie tray, sister (or brother, as the case may be).

And please, don't tell the Goddes you "couldn't help yourself." She would have to slap you, and neither of us wants that. You may think she's kidding, but do you really want to chance it?

The thoughts you feed are the ones that grow. The ones you neglect will die off eventually. So if you’re not happy with something in your life, you don’t like a certain line of thinking or you’re tired of struggling with a certain type of temptation or whatnot, it’s quite easy to remedy.

Starve it. Don’t hang out by the Harlot’s door if you don’t intend to go in. ‘Cause if you keep hanging out there…well, sooner or later you’re going to peek in. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but definitely next week.

In that sense, temptation is an aberration. Temptation is nothing more than the period of time that you are toying with the idea of doing “it.” Whatever it is. It’s not the situation itself, it’s the pause in between thought and action. The time, in effect, you’re standing outside the harlot’s door. That little nugget of time where you’re struggling between decisions: that is temptation. It exists in your head.

In other words, it’s entirely possible to utterly ELIMINATE temptation from your life! Simple, really. Don’t believe me?

Eliminating temptation is a one-step process:

Decide beforehand what you will and will not do. Then, when a situation comes up, don’t waver. Don’t question, waffle or debate. Just do what you’ve already decided to do.

Huh? Let me explain.

If this is how you handle challenges, you won’t have any temptations. There is no pause where you're struggling with your decision! Live consciously. Make your decision and stick to it. Don’t let yourself be swayed each time a possibility for a poor choice comes up. Why would you do that? There may be times when you choose to indulge, that’s true. But if you’re doing it right (i.e. the Goddess-recommended way), you will have made that decision and prepared beforehand. You’ll be ready, and you won’t have to think about it. You will just do. Eliminates guilt, too. Because, well, guilt just sucks if you ask me.

Incidentally, a nice perk from this approach is that it completely disables potential saboteurs. If you clearly and decisively decline a bad choice immediately, there’s no room for Sally Bigbottom to elbow you in the side and nag, “Oh, one won’t hurt you. C’mon! C’mon!” Your “Thanks but no thanks” has already been registered and you’ve moved on to more interesting things. Like where to find some of those veggies and dip!

When faced with a situation where your resolve may be tested, I realize you don’t consciously plan out the string of thoughts and feelings that run through your mind, it’s true. But you do decide what you do with them, and what you feed. And your long, tortured pause is every bit as good as feeding the temptation. You're leaning against the harlot's door, man, and you're liable to fall in any second!

Forget the external situation. It doesn't matter anyway. Fact is, the responsibilty is always yours. What are you doing? Are you hanging outside the harlot’s door, mouth a-waterin’? Or do you briskly walk on by to wherever it is you really planned to go?

You decide. Tell me you cannot pass up the donuts, I would bet the house you’re right. As LONG as you’ve decided you “cannot” pass temptation, you cannot. (And don't forget, you're risking a slap saying this around the Goddess.) But the point is that you make your own reality, Sparky. JUST you. Sorry, but you can’t blame it on the harlot.

You make the decision every day, every minute, who you want to be and how you want to handle life. Your life, my friend. And as they say in existentialism, life is a “prison of choices.” Not making a choice is, in fact, a choice in and of itself.

The responsibility always comes back home. And that is both disquieting and comforting all at the same time. See that harlot’s door? Keep on walking, baby. Keep on walking!