A life of severe abstinence can be as destructive to the soul as a life of excessive indulgence. As always, it is the Middle Way that most often puts us on the path to the happiest life, the best life. I’m rather fond of comfort; choosing, in my latter years, to prioritize it more over adventure than I did in my youth. Still I know that I must on occasion choose “The Road Less Comfortable”: finishing important work before recreation, rising early to get a racquetball game in when the enticing warmth of the bed beckons stay, walking past the dessert bar to choose healthy nutrition over empty sugary calories.

Saying no to ourselves on occasion gives us a sense of power over our impulses and reminds us that our higher mind has control over our desires, that we can master our moods. Furthermore, there is joy and empowerment that every disciplined “no” creates the space for a “yes” of purpose.

Closing Quotes:

“Every disciplined effort yields multiple rewards.” – Jim Rohn, 1930-2009

“Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or uneducated. Those things are what happen when you don’t have a plan.” – Larry Winget

“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”— Zig Ziglar; 1926–2012

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier