Until the last couple of years, my family has never lived close to a Fazoli’s restaurant. So, every time we visited a city that had one, we relished the thought of eating a meal there.

Why? Well, have you ever had one of their breadsticks?! If you eat one, you’ll keep asking for more. And I absolutely love their Classic Sampler Platter! Kim loves their salads and our boys love their pepperoni pizza.

A couple of years ago, we moved to Murray, Kentucky. One of the many ‘pluses’ of moving to that city was … you guessed it … Murray has a Fazoli’s! We made it a point to eat there often after we arrived.

But, something happened. The food didn’t change. The breadsticks were still soaked in delicious garlic butter. Yet, as we consumed the food to our heart’s content, we realized that we craved it less and less. Before we knew it, we were passing Fazoli’s without so much as a glancing look or fleeting comment.

Here’s a life principle I have drawn from this experience: If you want to grow tired of something you once enjoyed, consume it to your heart’s content. If you want something to bring you happiness for years to come, keep it special by periodically denying yourself. Happiness is often only possible if we tell ourselves ‘No.’