There is a reward for every feeling you indulge in.
Short or long term.
You inherently know the reward, but you seldom acknowledge it.
Think of any vice you have. It persists because the reward is guaranteed whenever you indulge in it. The reward reinforces the behaviour.
Vices are particularly great at instant gratification.
Vices go short on you. It bets on your decline, and it feeds off that decline.
Think of any virtues you demonstrate. You stick to it because the reward outweighs the alternatives. The reward eliminates alternatives.
Virtues are inclined to delayed gratification.
Virtues go long on you. It bets on your growth, and it nurtures that growth.
To really understand why you are in a particular emotional flywheel, you must first know and acknowledge the reward.
To change course, you have to disproportionately reward an alternative course.
You can redesign the reward for every vice or virtue, to ensure they serve you.
– Osasu Oviawe