The Quiet Price of Indulgence.

Hey, I’m Tahjai Dominic, and welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only access 🔒 of my weekly newsletter. I write a letter to my son each week with meaningful advice, life lessons and need to know information that every young man should know. This is a continuance letter, a book if you will, designed to push any young man to keep focus and avoid disastrous mistakes in life. If you are want to receive every letter, upgrade your subscription. If not that is perfectly fine, you’ll still get one letter a month.

Dear Son,

There’s a lesson I wish someone would’ve sat me down and told me plainly:

The things that bring you pleasure right now often come with a silent price tag.

And most of the time,

the cost of indulgence is greater than the reward.

But nobody tells you that upfront.

They just tell you to live a little.

To blow off steam.

To take the edge off.

To enjoy the moment.

And so you do.

Because it feels good.

Because it gives you something — even if only for a second.

But here’s the truth I learned the hard way:

That moment?

That hit of dopamine, that escape, that thrill?

It doesn’t come free.

It comes with consequences.

And eventually, the bill always comes due.

Let’s talk about why indulgence feels so irresistible.

Your brain is wired to avoid pain and seek pleasure.

That’s not weakness — that’s biology.

But the part of your brain that controls impulse and long-term thinking (your prefrontal cortex) is always fighting the part of your brain that craves immediate gratification (your limbic system).

And when life feels hard… when you’re stressed, anxious, overwhelmed…

your brain looks for relief.

So what does it reach for?

This is called reward-seeking behavior.

And it becomes a cycle:

Over time, your indulgences become your coping mechanisms.

But here’s what you need to know:

Coping isn’t healing.

And pleasure isn’t peace.

People rarely lose their future all at once.

They lose it in moments.

And the worst part?

You often feel fine while it’s happening.

Until one day… you don’t.

That’s the hidden cost.

Indulgence robs you of momentum. Of drive. Of purpose.

It feels like freedom, but it chains you down.

The world glorifies indulgence.

But here’s the real truth:

Discipline isn’t punishment. It’s protection.

It protects your vision.

It protects your time.

It protects your mind from becoming your enemy.

And guess what?

Discipline doesn’t mean you never enjoy life.

It just means you stop trading years of fulfillment for five minutes of relief.

Let this be your filter going forward:

“If this will steal my peace, my energy, or my future — I’m not paying the price.”

Because most indulgences are overdraft withdrawals on your potential.

You get a spike now… and a crash later.

You feel good now… and guilty later.

You delay the pain… and it grows interest.

You have to become the kind of man who doesn’t settle for that deal.