DAY EIGHT • Temperance continued...

Moderation or voluntary self-restraint, this is what constitutes ​temperance.  Yesterday we looked at the importance of positive thinking in relation to our decision making.  What we allow ourselves to believe is "good" or "bad" will ultimately drive our actions.  Understanding this can help us to make an important mental paradigm shift and to think more deeply about the ever day choices we are faced with in regard to our health and wellness. 

​Temperance, for some, unfortunately brings with it a negative connotation of elimination of fun and happiness due to imposed restraint (thanks to the Prohibition), yet alcohol alone is not the only object of desire over which temperance can be implemented.  Temperance can effectively be implemented over all things harmful, of which overconsumption of alcohol is included for many.  ​As noted yesterday, it is important to evaluate the truths and lies that we tell ourselves.  Not every golden door leads to perfect health, bubbly or not.  There are a wide range of marketed products and promoted ideas that provide a solitary element or component of health, but fail to provide the complimentary components which are necessary for whole wellness.  We discussed the idea that whole foods have multiple components which the body needs for proper digestion and assimilation, and thus is suggested the notion that perhaps not all supplements are what they ought to be (this is not to say they are all bad either).  We know and understand that walking is important for moving water throughout the body, but it is not necessarily true that we should walk from morning until night either -- we need ​rest and ​nutrition ​too.  Implementing temperance involves weighing the facts and striving to choose the options that best promote optimal health and wellness. 

​Today's thought can be summed up nicely in the following brief statement:

"All good things in moderation."

Therefore, as you continue to work towards redefining what is "good" or "bad" in your lineup of options, and weigh the evidences against your beliefs, we hope you will let this thought guide you.