- Imagine that today is January 1. It’s a new year, and you’re all fired up about making this your best year yet. You have made a resolution to change your habits, starting with losing a little weight. But after a few days, giving up cake and waking up early to workout doesn’t seem worth it. You thought you’d start a business, but that would require too much effort, while Netflix and chilling sound easy and ‘fun.’
- Do you remember how many times you have done this to yourself? Occasionally you get lazy and give up on your goals for something more manageable. In this instance, you accept something or someone that will please you immediately instead of waiting for a more rewarding reward later. And that is instant gratification.
- It’s not entirely your fault since we’re all wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. As a result, we postpone or avoid our responsibilities. We all want that high-calorie treat, wake up late, and go to bars and clubs with friends. When we choose instant gratification, we need to remind ourselves what we are giving up and if it is even worth it.
- On the other hand, delayed gratification is the act of embracing hard work and pain now to better ourselves for the future. When it comes to achieving long-term success, giving up your immediate gratification is the only way to succeed. Whether it’s skipping dessert to lose weight, or taking up a temporary job you don’t love but will be helpful later, every sacrifice matters.
- Understanding your urges and rewarding them more frequently is the solution. Consider you are addicted to social media; you could limit your consumption after completing a set of tasks and setting another alarm to stop. You have limited time, so either you can work on a project or take the easy way out.
- Identify your core values by asking yourself this question. What are you trying to accomplish? What do you hope to accomplish? What motivates you to get up in the morning? Unless you can answer them, you won’t be able to make better sacrifices and delay gratification.
- But how long do you have to delay? Your only way to answer that is to weigh the costs and benefits of everything you do and to know what your end goal is. We usually give in to our urges to feel better during emotional stress, which is why it’s so important to be rational and disciplined. You’ve made a list of pros and cons, so your mind already knows what’s right for you. Time to remind it in your heart and not give in.
But that’s just my take. Comment and share yours.
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