When we think of fasting, we usually think of going without food for a period of time, but fasting is more than just denying oneself food. Fasting can take different forms. Fasting is an exercise of control of our will. It is amazing how bad habits can start to form. Bad habits aren’t always absolutely detrimental to our lives, but they can be small things that prevent us from reaching our ultimate goal.

Look how easy it is after a long day to go get yourself a soda one day and then find yourself in the bad habit of getting a soda multiple times a week. Or maybe you come home from work or school and get yourself a small snack and soon you find yourself eating chips every day when you get home.  Or maybe you find yourself waking up in the morning and find yourself looking at your phone for the first hour of the day or maybe you find yourself ending your day in that habit. These are not inherently bad things, but these are the habits are keeping you from reaching your ultimate goal. These are the small clutters in our lives that accumulate and fasting allows us to strengthen our will to break those bad habits and refocus ourselves on what’s important.

So, take some time to examine your life, your daily routines, and your goals. Try to find the small habits that you do that do not lead you to your ultimate goal and fast from it for a period of time. Fasting is not all or nothing, it can be refined to what you need, but the purpose is to strengthen your will so that your daily actions are cleared of the dirt and clutter that keeps you from your ultimate goal.

So maybe for a day, you completely fast from social media or maybe just a part of the day. Maybe you fast from chips or soda or from watching TV after 9 o’clock. Maybe you fast from keeping your phone in your room while you sleep so you’re not tempted to start scrolling first thing in the morning. What’s in your daily routine that’s keeping you from being the best you can be? Take the opportunity to fast from that behavior for a period of time so that you have the strength to overcome it and begin to build better habits toward your goals.