It has been a month. And I survived.
There were a couple of times when I “almost” helped myself to a cup of coffee or reached out for a piece of delicious sweetness … it isn’t easy to train your mind to ignore, to not want, to resist temptation when it’s staring you in your face.
But I am proud to report I did not give in.
This will-power test was not just about coffee and desserts, though.
I learned that I could live without these two things … and if I put my mind to it, can live without other things I feel “pertinent” to my existence.
We like to create these little islands of necessities.
“My mind doesn’t work until I have a cup of coffee in the morning,” is an oft-heard comment. Fact is: it does.
We just like to think it doesn’t.
Human beings are such an adaptable species. Some mold into the shape that life takes more easily than others.
But all of us are highly capable of adjusting our attitudes and behaviors should the situation demand so.
We are stronger than we think. We just don’t put ourselves to the test often enough.
It was a simple test. And I might do it again with something else. I see it as a training for adversity — coaching my mind … teaching it to not crave, to not give in, to not want.
It isn’t fun. But I think it’s worth discovering something about myself. Testing my limits.
It may seem like a really small thing, but those of you who thrive on caffeine and call your day incomplete without something sweet, will understand.
And let me tell you: after a month of self-deprivation, the short Zebra mocha and banana walnut bread from Starbucks this morning tasted absolutely divine.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Mansi Bhatia
You might also enjoy:
Hi there. I can well understand how difficult it can be going without the morning dose of caffeine! Being the sweet freak that I am, I have been counting hours before I can get to my turn at grabbing some sugary sweet, and bingeing it is once I get to it sadly negating all the good that comes from staying away for the week.Maybe, I’m just not meant to stay away
.
Good job
– I love the banana walnut bread from Starbucks too….I did a similar experiment some time ago, although the duration was much longer than you. I did not have coffee for about 18months….and since then, whenever I have a cup, I truly relish n cherish it.
Hi Mansi, missed your posts all this while, so good to see you back and congratulations for this seemingly(for some, perhaps) small but big win!
Cheers
People have struggled for centuries with the seeming conflict between personal freedom (to indulge) and personal responsibility or personal discipline. Traditional ideas about this make it much more difficult than it needs to be. There is another tradition of discipline based on combining the two conflicting impulses — in other words you train to let go of thoughts, while allowing those thoughts to be there (for example. So you can be good to yourself, allowing your mind to desire whatever it desires and training yourself (gradually) to let go of intense desires by allowing yourself REAL freedom, the freedom to have thoughts, desires, wants, without punishing yourself with guilt. It