In my last couple newsletters, I discussed self-control and the ability to say no to foods (and other things) that you wish to avoid. In my last newsletter, I spoke about how important it is to not beat yourself up when you slip up on your diet. Changing what is already done is not in your power so spending any energy feeling bad about what you have done is a waste of energy. Especially when that energy could be dedicated to self-improvement and striving to become a better you.
So then, what should you be focusing on if you wish to improve your self-control and your ability to say no to the things you wish to avoid? The Greek Philosopher Epictetus tells us that one of the best ways is to develop a profession in aversion.
A profession in aversion means that you no longer desire the things you wish to avoid. It means you start to develop a dislike towards these things you have determined would be better if they weren’t in your life, or at least in it a lot less. This sounds a lot easier than it is (or maybe it doesn’t).
Epictetus believed that when we are unable to say no to the things that we wish to say no to, it leads to us being very unhappy. I’m sure you would agree. Have you ever told yourself you wouldn’t do something and then next thing you knew you were doing that thing and afterwards feeling really guilty about it? We have all been there. Especially with our diets.
Understanding this concept is the first stone to turn in our journey towards a stronger will power and better self-control. If you know that the future you will feel bad for your inability to stick to “the plan” with your health, then you must strive to care about future you a little bit more than present you.
Do you want the future you to be happy and proud of yourself? Do you want the future you to be a little bit healthier? Do you want the future you to be happy that you are on week 4 of eating better rather than on day 2? I think that many of us would answer yes to these questions.
This is something to munch on. You must take time to develop a love for the future you. That’s not to say that you should not love present you. Present you is great too and definitely worth caring about. However, you must realize that present you is simply a fleeting moment. With every tick of the clock, the present you is transitioning to the future you. What do you want the future you to look and feel like?
If we can begin to care a little bit more about about the future us, we can begin to forgo certain pleasures that may be presenting themselves in the current moment. Especially if those pleasures are destructive to our futures.
This is the first step towards developing a profession in aversion. If we want to be averse to things we wish to avoid, we must understand the impact of those things on the future us that we are striving hard to care about.
I want to wrap up this newsletter by saying that this does not mean that we should never prioritize present us or that we should never enjoy dietary pleasures that are offered to us. In fact, it is beneficial to do this on occasions, especially with the right mindset. And that will be the topic of the next newsletter. Stay tuned!
Chris Irvin
P.S. As always, if you found this helpful, please give it a share on social media or with any friends and family who might benefit!