One week into my cleanse journey and I’ve come to realize the subtle difference between a craving and a desire.
What is desire? Desire is a feeling or a motivation that keeps you moving towards a goal. Desire can be something like wanting to lose weight, or maybe it’s working on a specific yoga pose, or looking like Britney Spears (in her glory days). Desire can sometimes be frowned upon. This is something that exists even in the yoga community, or if you were raised like me in a modest catholic community, wanting more meant you were EVIL.
I don’t look as desire as a 
bad thing now, but instead I look at desire as a motivation to work towards something better that requires a bit of discipline.
Cravings, however, are different.
Cravings are like a kid having a tantrum. They are immediate and short term, but don’t necessarily help you in the direction to get what you truly desire. In fact, cravings can often interfere with a goal and have no discipline.
In my quest, I’ve discovered quickly what the difference between my desire and craving. When I crave a steak taco, what I really want is a chewy texture. When I crave caffeine, it’s not a shot of espresso, but more sleep that I need.
Like a kid throwing a tantrum, the best course of action is to breathe, assess the situation, and see what is truly wrong. Instead of chowing down in the office doughnuts, did you have a big enough breakfast? Perhaps you’re not too tired to workout, maybe you didn’t get enough sleep?
Take the time to look at what you’re feeling, assess if it’s a craving or is it a step to get you closer to what you desire? And remember, giving a kid an occasional cookie isn’t a bad thing, just not in the middle of a tantrum.
