What's your pleasure?

Pleasure is a matter of conditioning. A teenager smoking her first cigarette doesn't enjoy it at all. She's almost certainly doing it to "fit in" and it probably even makes her a little sick. After a while, though, she likes it so much she finds it hard to quit.

"If it feels good, do it" was a popular rallying cry during the sex/drug revolution of the 60s and 70s. But what feels good? It depends. Certain people who consider themselves to have refined taste enjoy eating snails and fish eggs, while others are disgusted by the thought of eating such food.

By nature, we want to do what is pleasurable to us. And so pleasure is a powerful motivator. Add this to the fact that pleasures can be learned, and you have a potent strategy for achieving your success: Choose the pleasures that move you toward your goals.

For example, there is just as much potential for pleasure in jogging 2 miles as there is in eating a bag of potato chips. The person who is trying to get in top physical shape would be well advised to find his pleasure in the jogging rather than the chips.

Rather than finding ways to serve your pleasures, find pleasures that will serve you. Instead of taking pleasure in getting drunk, sitting in front of the TV, and complaining about other people, learn to find pleasure in walking around the neighborhood, discovering new ideas, finding new and better ways to do your job.

Just like everything else in your world, your pleasures are under your control. Use them to your advantage.