In Episode 4,301 of Sesame Street (Get Lost, Mr Chips) The Cookie Monster faces one of his biggest challenges.
He hopes to join the prestigious ‘Cookie Connoisseur Club’ led by Commander Chiphead (played by Frasiers’s brother Niles).
To get in the club Cookie must take part in a tasting – sampling the aroma of the cookies before nibbling them and savouring the flavour.
Needless to say he devours the entire plate in one go.
To get past this Cookie, with help, deconstructs what he finds appealing about the cookies and changes these things one at a time.
He imagines their appearance as being a yo-yo.
He imagines their smell as being that of an old hiking boot.
By doing this he gains enough ‘self-control’ to pass the test and enter the club.
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If The Cookie Monster can do it, you can too.
The things that hold you back can be reevaluated.
Broken down.
Examined, bit by bit.
Finding what appeals about them………
And either changing the way you think about that………
Or putting something else in it’s place that does the same.
Eating it because it’s convenient?
Plan ahead and have things available so the most convenient option is healthy.
And / or reevaluate how much a few saved seconds will compare to potential reduced lifespan and lower body happiness.
Like the taste?
Find something healthy you like the taste of.
And / or reevaluate how important that is compared to potential reduced lifespan and lower body happiness.
Don’t kid yourself that there isn’t any in the thousands and thousands of different combinations of healthy foods out there.
It relaxes you?
Find something else that relaxes you.
You get the idea.
Rather than just fighting against your instincts……..
Challenge them.
Question them.
Work around them.
If Cookie can do it, anyone can 🙂
Much love,
Jon ‘Big Bird’ Hall and Matt ‘Animal’ Nicholson