Don't.

It's difficult to deny myself what I want and possess the power to grant myself. That's natural, I think. Self-discipline is as hard to achieve as it is hard to find in anyone. We get that impulse, and it's easier than it ever has been to fulfill it, no matter what it is. You can buy almost anything at any hour with a couple of buttons pressed. Seldom do we manage to talk ourselves down from the precipice of an impulse decision in time. It's hard to overstate this point.

I sometimes am able to stop myself from allowing myself an indulgence that I know I shouldn't. The key is in the realization, but that's not always enough. Maybe I want to buy a pair of sunglasses. Every now and then I get the idea that I want a really nice pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses, or a set of proper drinking glasses for bourbon. I can't really justify such expenses, but I get awfully close sometimes before I pull away.

Sometimes it's a minor thing. The other night, after I had already eaten, I wanted to go and pick up something to eat at the grocery store. Maybe a sandwich, maybe a burrito or a can of ravioli. I was already full. I was full enough to nearly have an upset stomach, and yet I wanted to get something to eat. Clearly hunger was not the motive. I wasn't depressed, but maybe I was bored. That's not really good reason to eat, especially if it means a special trip to the store late at night.

It was a hard battle, and I did not win it on my own. Circumstance was on my side. The timing didn't work out too well. I had an indeterminate amount of time to do it. I had enough time to do it, or enough time to finish watching a tv show, but I couldn't do both before it came time for an engagement. Finally I reasoned that I just wouldn't go and buy food at the store. It was a minor (if hard-fought) victory for me, but one which surely ranks among the more notable in the wars of self-control raging all over these days.