This article is not about the temptation to punch your boss in the face or to buy a pack of chewing gum at the supermarket checkout. There are certain pivotal moments or temptations where one misstep can change the trajectory of your life. Here are 15 of the most harmful temptations in life.
Earnings and Easy Money
People waste their lives in pursuit of unearned or easy money. You see them betting on sporting events trying to hustle or scam their way to the top. Hard work is foundational in the identity of the individual. The illusion of easy money kills your chances of true progress. Don’t succumb to this temptation.
Dopamine hits
We used to get dopamine when we overcame an obstacle when our life got better because of effort, but now your brain fires up because you got 1 000 likes on your latest post from people you barely know or care about. The modern devil is cheap dopamine. Companies are spoon-feeding you just enough brain sugar so you become addicted to it and can’t look away from the temptation of that instant gratification. It comes with the cost of self-control. The more they control how you feel, the less free you are.
Snooze
How many of you hit that snooze button? Ever wonder why you do it? Those extra five minutes never truly feel good because your brain understands you are eating away from your future. You are eating away at the satisfaction of getting what must be done out of the way. This snooze effect isn’t only about your mornings. People hit snooze in life on all sorts of things I’ll launch my business later, I’ll send that email later, I’ll go to the gym tomorrow, and what do you know, time goes by, and you’re still fat and unhappy, so stop hitting that snooze button on your life, Luxor. It’s time to take this seriously.
digital lust
Too much content is available with too little effort. Why do you keep checking up on your exes or crushes online? They’ve moved on. Why do you follow hundreds of models on Instagram and lust after their photos while your life isn’t improving? They don’t know you. You’re feeding them power through your worship. Your health is going down because of it. Your testosterone is down. Your social ability is going down. You fantasize about what you will do and how things will play out. The problem with this illusion is that you know it’s a fantasy, and the gap between your fantasy and reality makes you miserable. Unfollow the distractions. Replace them with people who inspire you to pursue your goals and see what happens.
Sighing for what’s easy, not for what’s great
There will always be the temptation to leave things as they are instead of making them better, and this applies to your environment, not just your relationships and even to yourself. Spend enough time in a room filled with people, and at some point, the smell no longer bothers you. That’s why most of you settle. That’s why most people will never live truly fulfilling lives. Not settling requires focus and discipline. It requires people to point you in the right direction. It requires you to follow through on what you know serves you. We built the only app designed to not allow you to settle into mediocrity. Do you think losers invest in themselves? Of course not; all they do is talk. Thousands of people are standing up and taking control of their lives with the help of Alok’s app. Some have overcome depression, some have dramatically increased their income, while others are getting happier and more grateful for the life they live by the day.
fleeing from everything
No matter where you are in your life’s journey, you will face obstacles, struggles and difficulties. Some people think they can avoid them forever. Their go-to strategy is to do a 180 and run from them. You know, the people who get into relationships where they’ve got their luggage ready by the door. You know, the people who start a business, but they call it quits at the first sign of a roadblock. The problem is that no matter how fast you run, you can’t get away from the things you carry. Your unresolved childhood will still be with you no matter where you travel. The temptation is to use it as an excuse. People these days love throwing around the word trauma the same way unemployed men use the word entrepreneur to deal with their problems. As Ryan Holiday puts it, the obstacle is the way.
Sacrificing one’s identity to fit in.
Mob mentality The big temptation is to lie about your identity to be accepted. You fake interest to make sure the date goes well. You fake wealth so that others appreciate you more. The temptation is there, but the more you fake it, the deeper the whole gets. Roll after roll, mask after mask, pretend after pretend, you wake up one day, and you realize you have no idea who you are. Your entire personality is just bits and pieces you picked up from groups you wanted to be accepted by, but you never took the time to find the real you, and that’s when your body starts rejecting your reality and life starts to spiral out.
Cut Corners.
There’s no such thing as a shortcut to any place worth going to. It’s just temptation drawing you in the same with unearned money. People spend their lives, money, and efforts looking for shortcuts, while the clear path forward would have taken you there by now. This is a Sunday motivational, so here’s the one motivation you will ever need. You are already aware of what you should be doing. Do that. Everything you want is the other side of doing what you should do. That’s the only recipe for your life you will ever need.
Cheating because You Won’t Get Caught
The temptation will always be there, but there are almost no things more dangerous than infidelity. The risk is you will damage what you hold most sacred: your family, your partner, and your legacy through your children. Once you cross over, your scales will never balance out and you’ll never get to your field of reading. That’s where strength comes from. Stop yourself knowing you can, but then go back home and be happy. Put that energy into making your relationship better. Construct your castle and empire. Please don’t allow the snakes to crawl into your garden, for they have less to lose than you do. This applies to men and women. Women initiate seventy per cent of divorces, which jumps to 90 per cent when it comes to educated women. Modern society has taught us to replace what’s broken instead of fixing it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a PhD. Most of you will fail at marriage because you can’t understand when something is going downhill and what to do about it. Because of number six on this list, you allow it to crash and burn so you can walk away with the sympathy of others.
Opportunities for Fantasy
You say you’re pursuing multiple opportunities, but ask yourself if these are opportunities or just distractions. One should pursue five things in life: health, money For, romance, relationships, and intellect. Pick one path with these five pillars that will get you there, and then forget everything else. The idea of the five pillars of life is something original we’ve developed internally for the goal of The Mastery course. The thousands of people who went through it found it revolutionary and speak highly of it today. The waiting list is open at alux.com/goals, and we’re reopening the doors to this course on Black Friday, so get on the email list and make sure you don’t miss out. Often, shiny objects are just cheap dopamine disguised as opportunity. We learned the hard way when we lost one year and over 1.5 million dollars pursuing opportunities when we already had a good thing going. The temptation will allure you, but success comes from the strength of focusing on your craft.
Entertainment Disguised as Development
Most people lie to themselves when it comes to progress. You binge-watch YouTube videos, lying to yourself that you’re learning or researching. It’s the same with many books; all talk, no action, no wake-up calls, no strategy for moving forward. Our goal with these free videos on YouTube is to flip the script. A lux is a growth disguised as entertainment. You think you’re watching something entertaining, but deep down, these words trigger something in you. We are telling you a Luxor. You’ve learned enough. Put the books down. Even pause this video if you have to and do that one thing you know won’t take long but will make all the difference. Could you do it now? We’ll be right here when you’re done.
Celebrity Fame and Fortune
Recognization is one of life’s biggest temptations. You see the glitz and the glam, and you wish those spotlights were on you. The biggest trap of Fame is that once you get on that stage, it’s impossible to get off. Look at how many celebrities are struggling with everything. Look at how many of them need to get far away to feel normal. Fame means you no longer belong to yourself. Your fans made you; in their eyes, you belong to them. The only surefire way to fail at life is to pursue status over everything else.
To Exercise Power over the Week.
The world belongs to those who know how to use sharp swords but keep them sheathed. Be careful of those who’ve never held a sword. Weak men are the most dangerous because they’ve never had power before and don’t know how to use it. That’s where abuse comes from. That’s the temptation to feel powerful all your life. People have looked down on you, and now you can look down on someone else and savour it. You’ve heard the saying that hurt people hurt people, especially those who cannot control themselves. One of our all-time favourite quotes is that it’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. Don’t fall into the temptation of unsheathing your sword.
Run the Risk of Losing the Years for the Day
Those who have struggled with addiction can attest to this wholeheartedly. You will lose years of your life, maybe all of them, just in pursuing momentary pleasure or escapism. If it costs you your future, it’s too expensive. You don’t have to try it. You don’t have to seem cool. You don’t need to experiment with it. Addiction is real, and only a fool would throw the dice when everything is at stake with little to nothing to win. So don’t be that fool. If you’re struggling and abusing alcohol or drugs is how you feel like you can escape, please talk to a professional; okay, Self-medicating through addiction is not the way.
Postponing the Start of Your Life
The biggest temptation in life is the belief that at some point, things will click and your life will finally begin, but this right here, this right now, is your life. Your life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. So live in the moment. Stop taking mental snapshots of your reality to determine if you’re a success. Stop assuming you will only be happy once things magically fall into place. One of the biggest misconceptions is that there is a miracle wall in our existence from which life makes sense. The past is your life, this moment is your life, and your future, no matter what it has in store for you, will be your life too. You’d never read a book if it only had the final chapter. Most people realize this too late, and Nostalgia kicks in. That’s why Nostalgia is a noticeable trend around the world right now. You didn’t realize life was happening to you when it did, so you want to relive it now with your newfound appreciation. The paradox is you’re doing it again at the current moment. You’re smart enough not to make the mistakes others have.