Temptations come in all shapes and sizes throughout our lives and learning to deal with them in a constructive manner can be a challenge sometimes. So, that’s why it is important to develop a tool kit that assists you in those times of crisis. Now let’s add a technique you can use whenever you have a moment like that.

This technique is something I picked up from reading a book called Focus by Daniel Goleman, and I’ve been playing around with it and found good results. To give even more clarity, it wasn’t Goleman who came up with this idea but it was discovered by a bunch of researchers who were studying short term gain over long term gain mindsets and behaviours.

In the experiment, and you may have already heard of it but stay with me here; the researchers sat a child in an empty room with no stimuli and then put a marshmallow on the table in front of the child, hmmm tasty marshmallow. Then the researcher told the child that if they resisted the urge to eat the marshmallow they would receive two marshmallows instead of just the one if they waited for the researcher to run an errand. Many children managed to hold out while others succumbed to their temptations and ate the marshmallow that was sitting right there on the table.

This might seem all like a bit of nonsense but what the researchers found was that the children who waited the fifteen minutes employed a novel strategy to do so. What it involved was so simple it is actually kind of genius; what the children did was they imagined that there was a picture frame around the marshmallow. Now, you might be thinking what the hell would that do, well by observing the marshmallow as a painting instead of a tasty treat, they managed to nullify the want in their minds.

So, this is what I suggest you do. Let’s say for instance that you want to give up smoking cigarettes but as you try to, you develop the cravings from the withdrawals. Well, just picture yourself smoking and then put a frame around it, and just contemplate that image for a while. You’ll find that the cigarettes lose a lot of their attractiveness, I’m not saying completely but at least enough for you to flex your willpower.

This, like all my techniques I share, isn’t an all in one fix, you might have to combine this strategy with others you already use to overcome your bad habits. But an extra addition to your arsenal can’t hurt.

And if you have any issues or questions you want me to cover, comment them down below!

Be seeing you all soon my Hedites.