You’re on a new eating plan to lose weight.
It is comprised of mostly chicken and things that taste like dirt.
It excludes all of the things you love.
But, you have a dream…
Of finally losing the weight and keeping it off.
You hope this time it will be different.
You pray that this time, you’ll stay on the plan for good.
You won’t cheat.
Not even one time.
And then…
You smell a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
And you feel the old familiar feeling.
Of wanting…
And not being able to have.
Deprivation. Restriction.
You tell yourself you won’t eat it.
You can’t eat it.
You don’t even want it.
But you do.
You REALLY, REALLY do.
Like more than anything you’ve ever wanted in your life.
You fight it.
You resist.
But the force is too strong.
You unwrap it.
And INHALE it.
It and all 25 of its friends in the bag.
We think the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in all of it’s peanut-buttery, chocolatey goodness caused our feeling of desire and subsequent deprivation.
But…
desire and deprivation are feelings.
And our feelings are caused by our thoughts.
Here’s an example to illustrate this point:
Imagine the doctor informed you that you were deathly allergic to peanuts.
If you even look at a peanut, or a peanut butter cup you will drop dead.
The next time you smelled a Reese’s-
You would run the other way.
You would not think,
“No one can tell me what I should or shouldn’t eat!!
I’ll die of anaphylactic shock if I want to!”
And eat the Reese’s anyway.
You can create desire and deprivation with your thinking,
and rebel against yourself,
or you can understand that you always have a choice,
and feel free:)
It all begins with a thought!
