You have been sleeping with a man other than your significant other because it has been easy to do. Your man was away, or busy, or ignorant… and this was a quick, easy moment of pleasure.
But was it what was BEST?
You have been eating pizza rolls, fast food, and sweets every day. It’s convenient, can be easier, and makes you feel good. “I deserve this.”
But was it what was BEST?
You’ve rung up a burdensome credit card debt on games, nights out, and travel. The onesy-twosy $3, $5, and $10 charges on treats, drinks, and drives have added up to thousands. It was fast, and thoughtless in the hundreds of moments.
But was it what was BEST?
So many of us opt each day for fast and easy and what feels the most pleasurable in each moment.
But, are these choice what are best for us?
Is the “quick and dirty” infidelity against your spouse the best?
Is the “fast and tasty” food against your body the best?
How about the “convenient and opulent” access to more money than you have thanks to credit?
Many might argue:
“Well, my husband was 1,000 miles away on business. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“It’s just a donut. Oh, and a burger. It’s not that many calories. Besides, I work so hard and deserve it.”
“I’ll pay it all off. I’ll work a lil overtime. I’ll just stop hitting the bar and Taco Bell every day…easy.”
But all of these actions undermine you and who you portray yourself as. Each day we say we are many things — loving spouses, fitness fanatics, or entrepreneurial whizzes.
…And each day these self-labels are put to the test…by us!
When we act in manners that are inconsistent with the character and morals we say we have, it’s a slow, acidic, dissolving that gradually destroys us. Fills us with thoughts of depression and doubt.
Behavioral consistency is absolutely essential to Eudaimonia.
After all — if you say you’re one thing but then act in a way completely the opposite, how can you possibly be happy?
Eudaimonia is about acting in a way that creates happiness as a byproduct.
Being one person and saying you are another is duality. It crushes happiness and replaces it with simmering anxiety.
You cannot exist for long in a state of such duality, unless you are a narcissist or sociopath, as only these can pretend to have two conflicting lives, saying they are one person but acting like another.
Acting out the lies of dual-living weighs like a millstone around the necks of those choosing it. Weaving together stories (lies) about your life is not much different than weaving a rope to hang yourself with.
The stories and lies are heavy burdens that will weigh on your mind until the day you die.
Eudaimonia is a difficult choice and we choose it daily.
You can either have your loving spouse, or your on-demand tryst.
You can either have your healthy body and mind, or your terrible for you diet.
You can either have your financial stability, or your wild, artificially paid for life.
You will have to make sacrifices in many cases.
Some will be difficult or require discipline.
But, if you do what is BEST for you — especially in the longterm — you will nearly always end up a better person.
So — what do you choose?