There are two ways of self improvement. The negative way is the way of learning from our mistakes. The positive way is by the love of God.
The negative way : Let us say for example we love Pizza. We go to a pizza place and pig out. That very night we have severe abd. pain, heartburn, nausea and vomiting. Next time there is an opportunity to eat pizza we will be more cautious because we are afraid to eat, we do not want that pain. However, the desire to pig out (gluttony) has not been abolished and our love for pizza is still there.
The positive way : In the same example, we love pizza and have an opportunity to eat Pizza. However, we decide that instead of having pizza we want something higher and we decide to commune with God and meditate. In this situation if our contact with God is complete and full, we have given our heart to God and we have immense joy and peace that is so great that not only do we not suffer the pain of eating too much but with repeated deep meditation, even our innate desire for pizza is replaced by something higher – the love of God.
We can take our pick of method The negative way takes ages and several lifetimes but the positive way can be done fairly expeditiously if we have the right Guru and awakening.
In truth, the desire to eat is not the desire of the soul or spirit but is the desire of the covering of the soul, the heart.
Bhavin