Temperance (Part of Our Principle Series)

Benjamin's Rule:
              "Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation"


The Issue:
 
        So what's the problem here? We all love to eat, and many like to drink, but when is too much really too much. As we watch our colleges pump out graduate after graduate who know more about liquor counts than statistics, and we watch the statistics of diseases such as diabetes get ever more gloomier, it is hard not to hear this message ringing loud and clear. It is not so much a matter of substances, but rather about our ability to control them and use them in a way that gives us pleasure, and not pain. It is a matter of having the ability to forfeit short-term low value pleasures, for long-term high value success's.

The Method:

       Of course, there are many ways to battle the things that you have trouble controlling; ranging from medication, to therapy, to support groups, and any combination of these. When I began to realize that drinking could be a problem in my life, and that I had to make a decision about the direction I was going to take my family, it became ever more clear that I was the maker of this map. My solution was to first pull myself away from the influences that promoted my bad behaviour. This required me to skip a lot of social gatherings with a lot of my friends at the the time, and the loneliness of not getting the phone calls and of being at home on a Friday night no doubt got irksome at times. What is interesting is that once you begin to change your routine and your habits, you quickly find friends who like and do similar things. It did not take long to find people who did not have to get plastered on a Friday to have a good time, and the refreshing feeling of waking up with a clear mind on Saturday cannot go underestimated.

      Once I began to root this nasty habit out of my life, all of a sudden, I had a lot more time, and since my mind was clear I was able to use it in ways which consistently make me better. Wanting to constantly keep reaching for higher goals, I started to seek out mentors who could show me not only how to promote good, normal behavior, but also guide me in the pursuit of higher success. If you have never had a mentor, it is essential. With that being said I will leave that for another post.

The Benefit:

      So why drop your friends who encourage you to drink one more beer? Why put down the second hamburger and ice cream cone? Because we need YOU here. The world is screaming out for healthy, clear-minded, and reliable leaders to take on the challenges of society. There are tremendous personal benefits to be gained from Tempering your habits, but the freedom from addiction or complacency can give you the motivation to go out and do something great. Help somebody out, read a book, take a class, build a bridge, build a community, take charge of a project, learn a new hobby. We need YOU to be YOU, and in my opinion that is the greatest reason.

Peace
Craig