Sweets and chocolate

“We must give up many things to which we are addicted, considering them to be good. Otherwise, courage will vanish, which should continually test itself. Greatness of soul will be lost, which can’t stand out unless it disdains as petty what the mob regards as most desirable.”
Seneca, Moral Letters.

 

When we allow small pleasures and indulgences to become habits that exert significant impact on our lives, we lose our freedom. As soon as you hear yourself saying you cannot start the day without a coffee, for example, you’ll realise that you have lost the power to choose. External circumstances now dictate. There appears no longer to be the choice of abstaining. Nor the option of thinking in a different way, as the mind has been polluted or corrupted.

 

You still have a choice: you can choose your attitude towards these things. Take a step back, think about what purpose (or satisfaction) these small unhelpful habits serve for you, and then consider what alternatives are open to you.