So this comes off of my last blog post ... I had the opportunity to test a couple of willpower challenges this weekend, well three actually.
Challenge # 1 - I went to The Fresh Market to buy chicken and buns for lunch for my kids on Sunday afternoon, well this store has a fabulous bakery! So many temptations. The kids had also asked me to pick up a cupcake for each of them, which I did, which meant not avoiding the bakery while there. Well what I saw were so many things that I would have ordinarily just dived right into - Bourbon Pecan Bars, Chocolate Cheesecake, Lemon Marscapone Slices, Brownie Pillow Cookies ... So I looked it all over and took it all in, and what went through my head was, I don't need any of this. Not right now and I know it will always be here. This same selection existed 8 years ago, it's not going anywhere! And so I moved on. Temptation averted!
Challenge #2 - Got home with said chicken and buns and was feeling pretty tired and hungry too as I had been going pretty much all morning with cleaning, laundry, vaccuuming etc and was ready for lunch myself. I got everything out on the counter and started preparing the food, well by this time I would just be putting any and everything into my mouth. Pieces of chicken as I'm chopping it up, biting off on a bun while I put sandwiches together. I realized that I was tired and hungry and operating on that food was right in front of me and instinctually it made sense to just grab at it and fill myself up. I stopped and said to myself: I need to get lunch and I will just as soon as I'm done with this, and I did. I powered through.
Challenge # 3 - Alcohol. Yes, drinking a drink does make us more likely to cheat. I was doing just fine until I had a glass of wine late evening to relax. What I realized is that alcohol doesn't just relax our bodies, it relaxes our brain and willpower too. And why is that I'm trying to relax using alcohol? Do I want a break from using my willpower?? Well I had a glass of wine and noticed that I was way more likely to cave and not be strong. So that right there is a big instigator!!
In the name of progress, Happy Monday All! Mere days left of this first round.