Outwitting the Conman Within

Most of us are aware that conmen exist. Some of us even know the tricks they use to swindle people out of money. But did you know that a conman can come from within you?

As my friend Ngishili Njuguna observed, the conman within is of a different nature. He lurks, waiting for our weakest moments to come, then crawls out of the woodwork to sweet-talk us into doing something wrong so that we can feel good.

If we resist doing what he is asking us to do because we know it's wrong, he adds, "No, don't mind the past or what people say. Just do it! This time it will be different."

When we finally yield to the temptation, the conman within turns against us. He begins to torment us with guilt over what we have done. Then he brings up other sins we did that are not related to the one he has conned us into doing. And the intense guilt we end up feeling leaves us pleading, "When will all this end?"

It must be the kind of guilt that Adam and Eve felt after they ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. For how else can we explain the way they became too ashamed to face God?

These days, some of the temptations the conman within can sweet-talk us into doing are eating and sleeping. When it comes to sleeping for instance, he can sweet-talk us into oversleeping when we are down in the dumps.

Now, oversleeping is a temptation the conman within has sweet-talked me into doing since I was at the university in 2008. Later on, I realized that much of the guilt I have felt since then has been due to oversleeping.

A lady called Lucy Githinji once told me that nothing encourages depression like oversleeping. The same applies to guilt, judging by what I realized.

I believe the solution to oversleeping is reading something inspirational before going to bed at night and finding something fascinating to do after waking up in the morning.

As for me, I am thinking of doing some writing in the morning because nothing gives me so much joy like coming up with a good story. And when I have that joy, I enjoy everything I do. That's all I am saying.