TEMPTATIONS IN LIFE

“Every moment of

Resistance to temptation

Is a victory”

 

I have developed a strong will power over the years, that I will not yield to pleasures that are to be avoided. Between sleep and yoga, I choose yoga, between television and exercise, I choose exercise, between junk food and healthy food, I choose healthy food, between reaction and response, I choose response, and the list goes on. This is probably because I am enjoying the benefits of a healthy life style. My body screams for more sleep, but I know the benefits of meditation and yoga. So, I don’t yield to temptations.

Temptations in life could be a bait.

If I have to keep serving the cause of education, I will have to be healthy. I want to work for at least twenty-five years more! Hence, I need to be fit.  If I want to be peaceful, I need to meditate. Only then can I contribute to the peace around me. So, I wake up sufficiently early so that I can meditate for an hour. This practice helps me to be peaceful and calm.

Knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, etc have all become common even amongst youngsters as they sit for long hours in the workplace. Sitting is the new smoking they say. Teachers too suffer these aches and pains, as they stand for long hours and bend to correct notebooks. We should counter it with suitable exercises.

Play with your body every day. Set aside at least half-an-hour, to begin with. What is required of us is, to be consistent.

As we grow older, wear and tear will happen and our muscles will become weak if we do not strengthen it. The bones are only a framework. Our muscles have to be strong so that it can bear the load. On the contrary, if the load goes to our bones, we will have aches and pains. Doing household chores is not a substitute for a daily workout. In fact, if you need the strength to do your daily chores, you need to be fit. The body carries us seamlessly throughout the day. What are we doing to keep the body in good shape?

The choices we execute everyday will have its consequences.

Be it our health, our career growth, a peaceful life, happy relationships, and all the goodness of life, we need to avoid the temptation to indulge in that which takes us far from our goal. Whether it is health or career, visualize how and where you want to be twenty years from now, and start working towards it; a long-term goal. Once you enjoy the benefits of good health, you will be motivated. Get started, and keep talking to yourself, to do it every day.

Don’t get tempted to do what gives you momentary pleasure.

Similarly, to achieve growth in our career, we need to invest some time every day, to update ourselves and read up, to become more knowledgeable. Today, knowledge is easily accessible through google. If we don’t perform well, we will be instantly replaced. We need to be relevant. The job market is also volatile sometimes. There has to be dynamism in our performance, that the organization should consider us eligible for the next promotion. How many hours are invested into our growth, will determine our success. Let us not waste our time giving our comments on social media. I personally feel it is more toxic and it is best for us to stay away or make limited use of it.

Let us not get tempted to waste our precious time on something that has no relevance to our growth.

So also, relationships. It is always under construction. We need to invest time as a family to be together at least after dinner every night. Instead, all of us sit with our mobiles in the same room, we don’t look into each other’s eyes and have a conversation. Dining room itself has become like a restaurant where we meet each other. Children are in their room most of the time. We must insist on having a conversation with them every day.

Yes, all of us are tempted to either watch TV or sit with our mobile. Can we overcome this temptation?

Visualize a pain free life. Then you will achieve consistency in everything. What freedom you enjoy when you develop the discipline to avoid anything that is pleasurable, but will give you everlasting pain! Get addicted to growth and progress by overcoming temptations.

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting