OFFENSE: ATTACKING THE OPPONENT
PLAY #3 Moderation-Nothing in Excess
A word you don’t hear very often these days is moderation, instead our world is filled with extremes. Think about it, there are extreme sports, extreme deodorant, extreme energy drinks, and even extreme TV channels. Everybody wants the extreme whatever because they erroneously believe the more intense an experience is the more pleasurable it will be.
But the truth is there’s a very important principle at work: as you increase stimulation your appetite rises to match it. Now you need even more stimulation to achieve the same amount of pleasure the previous level of stimulation gave you. Eventually you reach a point of diminishing returns. You just can’t get the same snap or buzz no matter how much you eat, drink, or do and that’s when trouble starts.
The push for the extreme will actually begin to damage the parts of your brain and body that receives and process pleasure. You basically overload your pleasure circuits.
SCRIMMAGE
How do you avoid extremes?
Reconnect with Your Senses- An example is to slow down and enjoy a meal, instead of eating while you’re driving down the road.
Retrain Your Attention Span. Men have notoriously short attention spans. That’s why sitcoms are filmed in 7-9 minute blocks. Men have a tough time staying engaged for much longer.
A few ways to do this are to read the newspaper or a book without pictures.
Stop Multitasking. It’s not uncommon for me to watch TV, surf the web on my laptop, and text somebody AT THE SAME TIME. That’s insanity.
The bible talks about fasting from food but what if you did a technology fast? Could you take a day or part of a day and disconnect from technology? I admit the idea makes my palms sweaty and I twitch a little but remember, too much stimulation overloads our sensory circuits. If a total technology fast seems like waaay too much too fast, why not start off slowly with an Internet fast. Take one evening a week at home when you don’t go online. No email, no Facebook, no Twitter, nothing. Try it once then see where it leads.
Delay your Gratification. The more you hold out for something, the greater the pleasure you’ll experience when you finally attain it.
Huddle Discussion Starter
List your hobbies?
Now figure out how often you’ve engaged in them in the last 90 days. Does the answer indicate excess or moderation?
