Sounds Like a Plan

So, a Facebook friend recently posted this–

“2 days into my self-imposed ‘better eating’ torture and I’m seriously craving chocolate…. maybe because I’ve had 40 pounds of it on my desk all day… Kermit’s Valentine’s promo coming soon…”

I’m not being judgmental here.  I just don’t see a lot of hope in this type of “self-help.”  Look at the word choices–“self-imposed,” “torture,” and “craving.”  And that’s just one sentence.

When we have a behavior or characteristic we don’t like, we think we can just change it with willpower.  Of course, if that worked, we probably would have changed already.  Well, then we must try harder!  Then, when that doesn’t work, it defines us as a weak failure. 

Maybe it’s time to be kind, mindful, and compassionate with ourselves.  When we try to “fix” a “bad behavior” by imposing starvation and self-criticism, we are setting ourselves up to push back and give up on ourselves.  Peace, kindness, awareness, and patience are tools more likely to help us attain our goals.

And, it’s all about the journey anyway, right?  I’d rather not be locked in “self-imposed torture.”