Myrtle Beach; SC
“The ability to discipline yourself
to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in
the long term is the prerequisite for success.”
- Maxwell Maltz
“Instant gratification is not soon
enough.” - Meryl Streep
Not only do we struggle with the desire for instant gratification on the
personal level, we live in a time that it seems to be worshiped. Instant this and urgent that – our culture
glamorizes immediate access to any pleasure at any time. As a result we have tried to smash most
anything that is sacred or cherished; full flow pleasure is the way to go. It is easy to look around and see that it has
not worked – all we have accomplished is to erode and denigrate the very
institutions that built the culture to start with. But where does that leave us as individuals
struggling to have meaning and value in our lives?
There is a difference between living in the moment and living for the
moment. Being aware of ourselves, our
situation, our goals and our resources is essential – but to indulge our whims
just because we want to feel different right now cheapens that which we indulge
in, makes us miss opportunities for growth and costs us big in the long
term. Both indulging impulses and
practicing restraint become easier each time we do them. The snowball effect comes into play and we
either need bigger “fixes” or we build momentum ever more rapidly toward long
term goals.
Practicing restraint gives us time to gain perspective on what we really
want – the things we acquire quickly rarely bring satisfaction and often bring
much unanticipated grief. It is a mark
of maturity and self-control to learn to patiently strive toward things. Then, once accomplished, we are able to truly
savor the rewards of our efforts.
Ultimately, it is a choice between building appreciation and value into
our lives or being caught in ever escalating traps of distraction and
frustration. We make the choice, one
little decision at a time.
Happy Thursday !!
David
If you can contribute
to this journey and help setting up the foundation, please click Here. If you have no idea what this is about, Click Here and Here, and click Here to email me. Thanks for your interest and support !!
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