I remember a few years ago a friend saying that the best way to beat temptation was to give into it.

While it was kind of funny at the time, it is not actually the case. More unfortunate is that he seems to have held to this belief and over the years it has gotten him into situations that I would personally not like to face.

Temptation is something we all face at some point in our lives. We get tempted to leave work, to give up, to be unfaithful, to not follow through on our commitments. We get tempted to lie, cheat, steal and much more. The problem with temptation is that if we submit we have two issues to face:

1. The limits of our character.
2. The damage that has occurred by giving into temptation.

Let me give you a personal example. As of yesterday, I have been a non-smoker for a year after being on and off them for five years. This was a challenging task and I had many setbacks along the journey. At one point, I had been off smoking for four and a half months. However, a few issues in my personal life, a night out with some mates who didn't care about my health and a fair bit of alcohol later saw me back on the habit.

This put me in a bad dilemma. First of all I felt like a failure and knew I had submitted to something I did not want to get back into. I was instantly on the quit campaign again, which is not fun when you have been out of that cycle for several months. Secondly, I knew that I was doing damage to my health, my relationships and to my mental state by continuing to smoke. It would have been a lot easier to avoid temptation in the first place.

How to resist temptation

Quite often we find ourselves in a position where submitting to temptation is easy and we feel like we can't escape. I offer the following suggestions for resisting temptation:

1. Realise why you are tempted: Each of us are tempted when we are dragged away and enticed by our own evil desires. No one else puts these desires in our heads. I know personally of people who smoke and others who have never touched a cigarette. My situation is a desire I have placed in my own head, not a desire someone else has created for me.

2. Acknowledge that others have overcome these temptations: There is nothing new in the world. I recently had a chat with Peter Christo about philosophy and Socrates. Peter said it was interesting to note that what Socrates said nearly 2,500 years ago still remains relevant today, if not more relevant than before. If people have faced these temptations before and overcome them then you can too. Find someone who has achieved what you want to and ask for their support.

3. Pray: If you are religious, prayer is a useful tool for gaining help to overcome temptation.

4. Remove yourself from the situation: I used to get back into smoking around certain friends and scenes (such and pubs and nightclubs). Whenever I stopped, I would usually avoid these situations and friends until I felt strong enough to be able to say no. Why put yourself into a situation where you are likely to be exposed to and give into temptation if you can avoid this? If you find yourself in a situation where you are likely to submit to temptation, get out of there straight away!

5. Declare publicly: Tell friends and family what you are doing. You will need support to keep you on track.

6. Find a replacement: As soon as I stopped smoking, I started doing exercise the same day. Replacing an old habit or temptation with a positive alternative can improve your chances. I know a close relative who used to be an alcoholic. A mentor of his from Alcoholics Anonymous suggested that whenever he felt like drinking he should go and get a chocolate milkshake. He would then have to sit down and have one or two of these until he no longer felt the need to consume alcohol or until he felt too full to drink anything else.

7. Acknowledge your strength: Adversity builds character. When you are able to overcome a temptation you begin to develop strength and new character traits. Pat yourself on the back.

8. Realise temptations subside: If you are able to resist temptation for long enough, the temptation will seek to occur. I no longer find any interest in smoking. I have no desire to pick up a cigarette again. This is only possible because I have resisted them long enough that I now link more pain to smoking (long term) than the pain of giving them up. There is more pleasure for me in being healthy, fit and knowing I am decreasing my chances of dying from a smoking related illness.

9. Celebrate wins: Haven't submitted to temptation for a day, week, month, year or years? Give yourself a reward. Celebrate both small and big victories. This can be done by taking yourself to dinner or the movies, taking up a new hobby or whatever you would like. Just make sure you associate little rewards and benefits with resisting temptation as this will help to continue to propel you forward. The two main ones for me when I stopped smoking were 1: I could go out for meals with friends and family more regularly, and 2: I contributed the amount I was spending on smoking to my savings.

10. Don't give up: We all have setbacks and find we fail at times. The important thing if you do give into temptation is to commit to getting back on the horse of resisting. Each time it becomes easier. Use points 1-9 here to help you reestablish your ability to resist temptation when things go wrong.

Have a look at the temptations in your life. What could your life look like if you resisted these temptations? Pick one to work on and make a commitment to yourself to begin resisting the temptation and building your new life... a life where you are living your potential.