You’ve probably heard the expression “Achilles heel,” which means a fatal weakness or a vulnerable area.
This expression came from the Greek legend about the heroic warrior Achilles, whose mother tried to make him immortal by holding the infant by his heel and dipping him into the River Styx. Eventually, Achilles was killed by an arrow shot into his undipped heel.
What is your Achilles heel?
What minor weakness is holding you back from achieving your goals?
Several examples of weaknesses that might have a significant impact on your life include:
Hitting a snooze button in the mornings
Indulging in foods high in fat and sugar
Wasting time scrolling through social media
Watching too much TV
Staying up late
These activities provide instant pleasure and gratification but distract you from your longer-term goals and commitments.
Below are three steps that can help you deal with your Achilles heel.
1) Become aware of your impulses for immediate gratification and delay your actions
Throughout the day, we all experience urges to check email or social media, cravings for foods high in sugar and fats, and impulses to procrastinate or find distractions.
Instead of immediately acting on an impulse when it arises, take a pause. Create some space between your urge and your action. Take a deep breath and slowly count to ten.
As you become more aware of your urges, they can weaken or disappear entirely.
2) Make a conscious choice about how you want to manage your urges
In any given situation, you have control over yourself, your thoughts, and your actions. It is up to you to decide how you want to respond to your impulses.
Take a minute to weigh the consequences of giving in to your impulse or overcoming your craving.
Think about which choice supports the desired results that you want.
There will be times when you give in to your urges. That is completely fine. We all do it. There is nothing wrong with giving in sometimes, but the key is to see how you feel afterward.
Acknowledge the times when you wish you had made a different choice.
Recognize the times when you can resist temptation and feel good about it.
3) Find the balance between instant gratification and keeping your commitments
If you always give in to your impulses, it can lead to poor habits and keep you from achieving your long-term aspirations.
If you suppress your immediate desires all the time, it can result in resentment and dissatisfaction.
You want to balance satisfaction from staying on track with your long-term commitments and instant gratification.
Finding the balance requires you to make conscious choices that enable you to enjoy immediate pleasures occasionally. At the same time, you regularly follow through on your commitments that bring more health, focus, and satisfaction.
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