Meaningful activities

Even if we can't say no when that temptation hits us, we can still choose what we do in between the times when it hits us. If we are not tapping that choice, that's not because we lack the power to resist temptation; that's because we lack a purpose to fill our life.

To understand how, let's begin by asking ourselves some questions. "Suppose I was free from this temptation - what would I do with the newfound freedom? What would bring meaning and value to my life?" While we might think of several things, let's zero in on one thing that we feel inspired to do. That thing would be our pointer to a purpose worth pursuing.

Focusing on this purpose, we can ask ourselves: "Even in my present temptation-prone condition, can I still do something to pursue my purpose? Among the things that I can do, how many am I doing?"

If we are not doing several of those things that could help us pursue our purpose, that raises some key questions: "Might I have unwittingly let my life be pervaded by an avoidable sense of valuelessness or meaninglessness? Might that emptiness impel me to seek temptation as a means to bring into my barren life some titillation - even if it is temporary and leads to trouble?

Might filling my life with meaningful activities give me greater impetus to resist temptation?"