The Power of No.

This is a big Monday in the USA. It is Labor Day. No school. The banks are closed. And there are BIG sales in all the department stores.

Sales…spend more to save more—the American way. Closet space becomes a premium… garages so cluttered the cars don’t fit in any more.

I saw an ad that left an indelible mark on my mind. It was for MasterCard…you know, master the possibilities. But this ad showed a well dressed woman loading boxes and bags from posh stores into the back of a taxi. The caption said, “Just because you CAN doesn’t mean that you SHOULD.”

Just because we CAN doesn’t mean we should. Sometimes saying NO is more important than saying yes. Yes gives a momentary high…which soon fades as we move on to the next object of desire. No gives us that longer lasting pleasure of resistance… being stronger than the momentary desire. No comes when we connect with our desire for greater things. No leads to our long term happiness over the short term, momentary satisfaction of a yes.

You know what I am talking about. We deal with this situation every day. The nagging 5 pounds that alas has moved on to 10. We want to get back to our fighting weight, but there’s that cookie sitting on the counter calling our name. Or is it the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks…the price in dollars is nothing compared to the price in calories… 310? Could it be? More calories than a cheeseburger from McDonalds?

What is this REALLY? This is building the muscle of discipline. Being strong and saying no to all of the little things so that we can enjoy the big things. Do you buy the 5 cute and inexpensive handbags at Target or save up to buy the one really nice Tory Burch bag? Do we nosh all day, or save up to enjoy a nice dinner? How good does the food taste when we are hungry for it? It we sit and eat chips and salsa before dinner, we might be able to cram the main course in, but where is the pleasure factor? That was used up with the chips and salsa.

Discipline offers its own reward. The reward of working hard and achieving our goal. The reward of having grit and sticking with something that is important for us and not giving in to the little temptations that present themselves to us and try to lead us astray. Discipline blossoms when we focus on the big picture:  our goal.

Being disciplined is not easy, but it leads to great rewards.

The 21 Day Motivating Meditation Challenge requires discipline. Discipline to stick with it even when there are distractions—like wanting to sleep in and skip it. Just remember, regret at not doing what you told yourself you would is a greater burden to bear than the satisfaction of a little more sleep.

So in whatever aspect of your life that is important for you right now, know the outcome you’re striving for, and stay focused. Hard is not bad, it is just hard. And you are strong enough to bear that burden. Don’t give in to those little temptations that try to lure you off your game. 

May the force be with you!!

Alicia

PS There is still time to sign up for the Mom’s 21 Day Motivating Meditation Challenge! If you are interested in giving meditation a try, this is a great starting point! The program starts September 10. So sign up today to be sure not to miss any of the mailings! Just ping me back and I will add you to the list! It is separate from the Monday Morning Motivation list!

This is what discipline does for you! Makes you UNSTOPPABLE!