I was driving to my grandma’s house. It had been a week since I cut the grass there, and because she’s getting too old to push the lawn mower I help her with the yard work.
She keeps her yard looking respectable to the neighbors and I’m paid to help. It’s a win-win situation.
Normally this ends up being a relatively uneventful trip. I say hi, spend an hour in a walking meditation, and then visit for a bit before collecting my paycheck and heading out.
Today was different. During the drive to her house I found a box of tic-tacs in my car, and my gut was filled with absolute certainty that I shouldn’t eat any. But I did.
I had just freshened my breathe with a piece of gum, so the only reason for me to eat them was to fulfill my body’s craving for the little spike of dopamine the consumption of refined sugars and artificial sweeteners would bring.
Later, when I got to her house my grandma was watching another one of her game shows, and instead of getting straight to work on the lawn I watched the first round of her show.
While I was mowing the lawn I missed a row of grass and justified skipping it because it was on the side of her house and she would be unlikely to see it.
It would only take an extra 15 seconds to cut and I knew it was the right thing to do, but I didn’t do it. At least initially.
I went back and cut it a few minutes later because I realized something.
If I can’t control the temptation to pass on a tic-tac or spend an extra 15 seconds of easy work doing something I know I should be doing, how can I expect myself to put in the work required to become the greatest motivational speaker this world has ever seen?
Safe to say, I’ll be passing on the tic-tacs tomorrow.
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