Title:
The seven deadly sins of business people #4 - Lust

Word Count:
857

Summary:
Let’s analyze how these common vices can affect your business and your overall income. You may think that the concept of deadly sins is a religious one and do not apply to you, but you may call them negative tendencies if you want. The fact is that you can find them in more or less intensity within most people.

Keywords:
business, make money, become rich

Article Body:
If you read this introduction already, just scroll down and start reading about Lust, otherwise it is recommended that you read the introduction bellow.

Let’s analyze how these common vices can affect your business and your overall income. You may think that the concept of deadly sins is a religious one and do not apply to you, but you may call them negative tendencies if you want. The fact is that you can find them in more or less intensity within most people.

You may not realize that one of these tendencies may be affecting you until I show you the details. If you realize that there is a problem, I will also give you the solution so you can fix it. I will explain and compare now the most common negative tendencies among people with their corresponding opposite virtues.

Before we start, I need to tell you something . . .

I. Most sins arise from: FEAR.

II. Most virtues arise from: LOVE.

III. Sins, vices and negative tendencies demonstrate weakness, while virtues demonstrate strength.

In my opinion the biggest virtue of all is COURAGE/CONFIDENCE, because it is the direct fruit of love, which dissipates fear and sow all other virtues in human’s hearts.

This is a series of articles about this subject. The whole series contain the following articles . . .

1. Pride

2. Envy

3. Gluttony

4. Lust

5. Anger

6. Greed

7. Sloth

– Lust –

This negative tendency is related to an inordinate desire for the pleasures of the body. Lustful people can not control themselves when it comes to experiencing certain physical pleasures. This is commonly associated with sex, but there are also many other areas that have to do with lust.

I will give you a few examples, so you can understand. If you need luxury to the point that you want it and you want it now, and you can’t control yourself, that is lust. Lustful people can not resist the desire to have a luxurious car with luxurious rings, a luxurious house with a luxurious marble floor, a luxurious partner/couple with a luxuriously hot body, luxurious cloth, fine wines, caviar and expeditions to exotic places.

If someone thinks too much and too often about sex, watches too much porn and is addicted to sex, that’s lust. It is a craving, a hunger, an intense desire that burns you inside. You need it and you need it quickly, by any means.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Sex is good. Luxury is good. The inordinate desire is what is wrong. The inordinate desire is what makes you commit mistakes and hurt yourself.

Lust manifests itself most often in the following areas: sex, power, image, wealth and entertainment. There are many different kinds of physical pleasures, but basically we can mention here the pleasures of the senses: taste, tact, sight, hearing, smell.

When some people’s lives spin around sensuality and their ultimate goal is to indulge themselves with all kinds of bodily sensations, they will often experience lustful feelings.

This sin opposes the following virtue: Self-Control. It is destructive because it can exhaust the senses by suffocation. Inordinate sexual activity can make you sick, because of sexual transmitted diseases, epidemic diseases, etc. Lack of control can get you in trouble, due to social norms.

How can this negative tendency affect you in business? It can affect you in different ways. If you are only concerned about getting pleasure, you may avoid work and tasks that do not provide the immediate satisfaction you seek. Your lack of self-control can bring you troubles.

Lust is associated with overindulgence. People that constantly seek the pleasures of the body tend to abuse destructive substances like alcohol, nicotine, drugs, etc. Some individuals believe that they are fine because they do not take any of these substances into their bodies. They don’t know that they don’t need to.

For example, what about excessive masturbation? This negative tendency changes the levels of dopamine in the brain causing a neurological effect similar to that of many drugs. What I mean by neurological effect here is that some chemical substances in the brain are altered producing anxiety and sometimes depression. The point is that it makes people less productive and less alert to profitable opportunities.

Remember though that to seek pleasure is good and it is a natural tendency also. The lack of control or the inordinate desire is what is wrong. There most be a balance in everything we do. Some people’s lives spin around pleasure. That’s the only thing they care about. By keeping a balance between pleasure and efforts we can live a better life, make more money and be more profitable.

If you read the other articles on this series, you will realize that the common characteristic behind this negative tendencies is: selfishness. If you are absolved with yourself, you will show one or more of these tendencies on your daily actions. The solution is to live a less selfish lifestyle. By changing your attitude, you may change the outcome of your actions. You may be amazed at the results and you will feel happier and successful.