Temptation

"Never, never, never give up!"

~ Winston Churchill

This quote by Winston Churchill has been one of my favorites ever since I was young. I would have to say that when I was young, if I was searching for praise it was not going to come from people. It would have to come from with-in me. I say this is because I was told by many people important to me that I would never succeed, due to the fact that I was not a good student and I came from a very dysfunctional family. 

At a young age I knew that if I wanted to succeed at something, the journey would be alone.  With that in mind I realized that I would have many obstacles in my way.  I call these obstacles road blocks or pylons in the road that I needed to find a way to get around or over in order to accomplish the goal.  I knew that people would discourage me and tell me to quit.  One of these was a high school councilor, Mr. Roonie. He meant well, but when I told him I wanted to go to college and not just any college his response was, “You should become a checker or learn a trade.”  When I was in my last semester of my senior year he asked, “What have you decided about your future, Tammy?” I told him, “I am going to Ricks College.”

“You won’t make it through the first semester”.  My mother didn’t want me to go to college, either.  The leader of my church wanted me to stay home and take care of my mother and sisters.  The list goes on and on, but I was determined.  So….long story short, I not only graduated but walked on to the gymnastics team too.  I am not saying it was easy, because it wasn’t.  I had to retake certain classes and go to many study groups, but it all paid off.  In my first semester, all five of my roommates quit and went back home.  I worked and went to school and had no support from family, none.  It was hard to stay. I wanted to quit. I had every reason to quit, but I knew what my life would be like if I did. I would think of my life back home, and when I did I saw unhappiness. When I looked forward I saw hard work and lonely times but also saw that it was worth it at the end.

This lesson and many more like this have stayed with me and been a driving force to withstand temptation.

I believe everyone has a story, something that they have done to overcome the odds and accomplish their goal.  We forget those stories, but we need to think of how we crossed the finish line.

These are some things that help me when I feel tempted to quit and give into that temptation.

First, I believe in God and that He along with Jesus Christ has and is with me on my journey.  I am a very spiritual person.  This has been my life preserver.   I believe that we all need something spiritual in our lives, weather it is God, Christ, a Higher Spirit, Buddha, Hindu, the earth itself.  By having something to believe in we are then not alone.  We feel strength from other than are selves.

Second, I look for role models to follow and visual myself like them.  I listen very closely, asking questions, and then I try to copy how they do it. I practice this over and over until I know how to do it myself.

Temptation is something always there. But I know that I have the control to overcome anything that is in front of me, from deep within me I would and do find inter-strength to overcome the hurdle that may be in front of me.

Quitting is always an option. It is easy to quit, but to stay with something and constantly find reasons to continue with it is hard.

The definition of temptation: A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual. It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions, for various reasons: legal, social, psychological (including feeling guilt), health, economic, etc.

We often find ourselves in a situation where we have to choose.  Choose to do the best thing for us.  When we see something that is overwhelming and hard to do, we look for reasons to avoid it.

Life is too short to look back with regret or feelings of guilt.  If you find yourself sliding back into old habits, remember you are human and are someone that is not perfect. 

Aristotle: Temptation Quotes
I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.

John W. DeForest: Temptation Quotes
It is not the great temptations that ruin us; it is the little ones.

Sir Edmund Hillary: Temptation Quotes
It is not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves.

Robert H. Schuller
It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.

Vince Lombardi
It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.

Temptation is a hard one because there are so many reasons to come up with to Not exercise. So remember….. Never, Never, Never Give Up!

                                                                      By  Tammy Bradley