Instant Gratification Is Costing You Your Future

Instant gratification is the temptation to experience a quick pleasure or fulfillment without delay and without working for it. It’s choosing to neglect a future benefit in favour of a less rewarding but more immediate benefit. You want it and you want it now. This might sound great and some of you reading this are asking yourself what the problem is! There can be a harsh payback for living this type of hedonistic lifestyle. Living in the moment can be great but it’s reckless if it’s costing you your future. Companies spend massive amounts of revenue trying to figure out how to appeal to your instant gratification. Don’t spend your future today. You could end up feeling washed up without anything of substance in your life. Regret can be torturous.

Before I get into this and before you shoot me down, can I reiterate that the running theme for The Success Sensei is balance. We are attempting to balance out everything in life and achieve a Goldilocks status. We are aiming to get our balance ‘Just Right’.  It would be great to be able to live in the moment without it affecting your future and to be able to plan and strive for your future goals without missing out on the present. Don’t forget to stop to smell the roses. This blog should never be viewed as a judgement or a lecture as it’s simply a conversation. A conversation with myself that I hope can benefit others or at the very least stimulate your thoughts.

Examples of instant gratification can include the following;

• Food: Choosing by taste instead of goodness.
• Alcohol: It’s hard to be productive when you’re drunk or hungover.
• Smoking: Sure there’s no point to this one at all.
• Gambling: You know which way it’s going to go.
• Gaming: Playing games instead of doing work.
• Social Media: I’ll just check my timeline for a second…..an hour goes by.
• Sex: Instant gratification that can lead to larger issues.
• Television: Watching programmes of little substance.
• Internet: A simple search can lead on to much wasted time.
• Drugs: Recreational, prescription and non-prescription offer a temporary state.
• Sleep: Using the snooze button instead of ‘up and at em’.
• Shopping: endorphins are released by shopping and yes this includes big ticket items too (cars and holidays).

In fact, this list is everything that could lead to addiction. It’s the procrastinators dream. The biggest problem is that each of these can give you a temporary illusion of happiness which can quickly subside and leave you feeling empty. This in turn can have you chasing the next instant gratification ‘hit’ and the vicious circle is complete.

How To Take Back Control

1. Start with the end in mind.

Imagine your future self and how you wish things to be. Don’t imagine that life always gets easier. If you did have a choice, would you rather struggle while you are young and able bodied or would you rather the hardship occurred when you had gotten on in years and health? It would be smarter to take a bit of pain now to ensure a brighter future.   

2. Know what you want.

This point is about your goals. Think about what you want, write it down and for maximum mind-set, visualise it.

3. Identify your weak areas.

Know your vices. Reread the above list and identify which of the areas is causing your future the most hardship. Aim to tackle this one first.

4. Stop justifying your actions.

The saying, “You can’t bring it with you”, can give you the perfect excuse not to have anything to pass on to the next generation. “Live in the moment,” won’t be a great philosophy for your future self.

5. Reward yourself.

Turn it upside down and allow yourself a reward upon completion of a harder task. This can prevent distraction before you even begin (or never start) a task.

6. Distract from the distractions

When you consciously catch yourself choosing the easier path, simply stop and switch. It is all a mind-set. Rereading your goals can help too.

7. Keep motivated.

Watch, listen and read about others (in your chosen field) whose motivation you find to be infectious.

All work and no play isn’t a balanced lifestyle either so I’m not promoting workaholism. Our lifestyles can change often so make sure that you regularly review and make the minor adjustments necessary (each way) to stay on track.

If you are affected by any of the topics mentioned here or if feel you may need help, please seek professional advice.

I would love to hear your views. Please get in touch using any of the channels below. All comments, reviews, subscribes, likes and shares are greatly appreciated. Thank you for all your continued support.

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By Roundhouse Rob, The Success Sensei

Robert Devane is a serial entrepreneur and experienced investor as well as a former martial arts multiple World champion and professional MMA fighter with over 20 years of coaching experience.

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