We seem at times to be more loyal to things that harm us than the things that are really good for us.

For example, what is it about greasy food that we can’t seem to get enough of? While driving past a fast food restaurant recently, the familiar, compelling smell of french fry grease suddenly filled the car. And it smelled SO good! But I also thought about how often after stuffing myself with an order of those greasy potato strips, the sensation turns to an unsettling clump in my gut and slight nausea and a vow to stay away the next time.

Why do we keep doing this? We crave the fatty, salty goodness of fries and other deep fried goodies but after eating them we feel like we’ve just stepped onto another planet with a much higher gravitational pull. Yet we keep returning for more.

Hmmm. And that reminded me of another type of lure – the alcohol buzz. Same sort of thing. It can taste and feel so good at the start. But if you’ve ever overdone it and ended up later praising the porcelain god on your hands and knees and dealt with the worst headache the next day then you know how awful this seemingly fun activity can become. And you probably vowed to not do that again. Yet quite often we go back for more again and again.

And then there’s money and all the stupid things we do with it. We buy things we can’t afford to impress people we don’t like. We could write a book (and have) about all the mistakes we’ve made with money.

It seems our lives are at odds with many things, just like oil and water. You have to admit one thing, though. To keep going back to something that almost always ends up disappointing – that is loyalty. That is devotion. Why then, if we can tough it out for these and other inferior things, is it so hard for us to apply that same level of dedication to other more important things? Figuring this out is the key to winning.