“Cravings are going to occur to you. So here’s the rule of thumb about eating, or about investing in the stock market, or about anything else: If the impulse comes from a joyous thought that feels good, follow it. If the impulse comes from an uncomfortable thought that felt bad, don’t follow it.”
—Abraham
Excerpted from the workshop: Portland, OR on July 13, 2002

On the surface, this seems very simple. But….

The hard part is identifying whether there was a uncomfortable thought leading  to the craving. That requires that you slow down enough to allow yourself to notice what it was that led to your current feeling or desire.

One of my current themes is to slow down and smell the roses. So this saying of Abraham’s comes at the perfect time.

We are so conditioned to think of something like a “craving” as a negative. There’s too much black and white in our culture today. I’m also learning that most things are NOT either good or bad (which implies a moral judgment) but that is such a falsehood. If you consume or feel something in excess and to the exclusion of other aspects of your life, then maybe it could be considered “bad” but its mere existence does not make it bad.

Take food cravings for instance. It also depends on how you define craving but if you were dehydrated or just finished a race or endurance athletic event and were craving water, would that be a bad thing? Heck no. It would be healthy and it’s a positive reflex in the body to have this “craving”.  The “impulse” for the water did not come from a thought that felt bad at all. So, according to Abraham (and I agree) it’s good to follow it. But let’s say you decided to satisfy your thirst by guzzling alcohol….ask yourself what your thought was that led to the desire to quench your thirst with booze. How did that thought feel?

Remember that it’s all about your feelings.

Spend time this week slowing down and paying attention to what’s behind any of your actions or impulsive desires. Keep track in your journal (you can use your gratitude journal to record things like this too you know).

Have a great week!

Terrie