Episode #58 Resist The Temptation

The fleeting allure of harmful choices disappears when we recognize them as lasting obstacles to our long-term dreams. Listen in this week as Dr. Michael Brown and Justin Brown get strategic about overcoming unhealthy impulses.

Show Notes

Sometimes I’ll say, ‘This is a temptation. This is not helping me to achieve my physical and my fitness goals.’ I will say ‘No’ to the second dinner for right now, and actually, I’m going to get on the ground and do ten pushups to replace that temptation with a healthy choice instead.
Dr. Justin Brown

Three Problems

  • We struggle to resist temptation because we lack perspective, we crave pleasure, or we feel pressure.
  • We often get so close to the edge of temptation and then somehow wonder how we fell into it.
  • Our immediate desires typically do not align with our long-term goals.

Three Principles

  • Temptation only overtakes us if we allow it to overtake us.
  • Temptation affects more than just the spiritual or moral dimensions of life.
  • Even in the very act of giving into temptation, it is never too late to resist.

Three Practices

  • In the moment of struggling with temptation, acknowledge to yourself out loud that “This is a temptation.”
  • Instead of focusing on the choice that you shouldn’t make, replace it with a healthy choice that brings you a step closer to the person you want to become.
  • Invite a close friend into the moment of your temptation rather than merely updating them after you have already given into it.