Don't Quit

Maybe its something in the air, on the news, or some trend making the rounds on facebook, or perhaps its just people jumping on the Lent bandwagon, whether they are Catholic or not, but my radar is blowing up with people giving something up. Whether it's coffee, sugar, meat, alcohol, or some other random thing they consider to be a vice, people LOVE quitting something, and even more than that, they LOOOOOVE talking about it all the time and making sure EVERYONE knows about it. 

Look, I don't knock anyone for trying to live a healthier lifestyle. I think we could all head in a more health conscious direction, but in my personal experience, depriving myself of something only makes me want it 10 times more. And judging by how often people talk about what they've given up, most people would probably agree that when you forbid yourself of something, your mind becomes consumed by that. I've even witnessed people become so utterly consumed by whatever they have decided to give up, that the end result is an inevitable binge, thus completely negating their efforts. 

Even birds like a little coffee
now and again. 

And when we binge, we regret. So the cycle goes something like this-- love something, love it too much, overindulge, give it up, think about that thing day and night, binge, wallow in regret and self-loathing, rinse, repeat. 

My point is, if you're engaging in this cycle, you aren't really accomplishing anything except proving that you have no will-power. And it shouldn't really be a question of will-power, because like every flawed human being, we do not have iron wills. We all give in to temptation and worldly desires, albeit some more than others, but no one is perfect. 

My suggestion, as with most things -- work, religion, politics, eating, drinking, etc. -- is to practice moderation. No one likes an extremist. And setting unrealistic goals is really just setting yourself up for failure. A cup of coffee is not lethal when you have one cup in the morning. When you are drinking a couple pots a day, it's probably time to take a step back and reassess why are you are overindulging. But please, I don't want to deal with any more mood snaps because you haven't had a diet coke in 48 hours. Keep it moderate people. For your sanity and mine.