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CHALLENGING YOUR FEELINGS
Partnered with thinking, feelings have the
potential to greatly influence your behavior. I say
‘potential’ because what may come as a great
shock to the modern mind is–you do not have to
obey your feelings. In many cases, we should NOT
obey them. Why? Because feelings are not the
final word on reality. We feel empty, so we eat.
We feel bored, so we turn on the TV. We feel
rejected, so we withdraw. We feel afraid, so we
become paralyzed.
A closer look reveals feelings serve as very
poor guides for seeking the “good life.” Just ask
inmates in correctional facilities across America
who elevated their ‘feeling’ for crystal meth to the
center of their life choices. Did gratifying their
longing for crystal meth deliver a good life? You say,
“But I’m not a crystal meth addict!” Perhaps not,
but what are the results of the feelings to which
you are submitting? Emptiness? Hopelessness?
Fear? Anger? All of these are subject to the same
laws of reality as craving crystal meth. You
eventually get the results they deliver.
Challenge your feelings with sober reality,
“Does obeying this feeling really deliver me the
best life possible?”
CHALLENGING YOUR BODY
Your body is your essential power-pack for
living life on earth. But as important as our bodies
are, they have limitations in delivering the good
life. Elevating gratification of your body to the
primary source of experiencing the ‘good life’
(pleasure, sensuality, fullness), also positions it to
deliver the ‘bad life’ (pain, numbness, emptiness).
You must challenge centering your life on gratifying
bodily sensations–because ultimately the body
can never be fully satisfied.
Bodily gratification knows no limits. Ever known
an alcoholic with enough drink? A food-aholic
with enough food? A sex-aholic with enough sex?
Is guzzling actually better than sipping? Is gorging
really better than savoring? The irony is that
centering life on bodily pleasure actually deadens
feelings. Initial pleasure sensations eventually
become harder and harder to re-experience,
which awakens a relentless drive to feel
something ‘more’.
The more bodily gratification is sought, the
less it delivers on the self-satisfaction scale.
Challenging your body through training, perseverance,
and practicing living within limits, ultimately
delivers the real goods. Testimony is used in
court to establish truth–so ask those regularly
challenging, disciplining, and limiting their body
by smart eating, physical activities, and exercising
if the results are indeed good?
Add your unique goal to a New Year’s
resolution: “This year I will experience a healthier
body, better relationships, financial success,
career advancement, etc., by challenging the
intent of my will, the validity of my thinking, and
the trustworthiness of my feelings until ultimately
my body experiences the results of one good
choice made day by day, week by week, and
month by month–until I’ve lived the entire year.”
With patience and diligence you will
experience a better life. That’s a PROMISE. l
Hometown madison • 49