Before starting, let me confess, I’m in the category of people who want instant gratification. I’m working on it and feel less stressed nowadays. So, this post is going to be a self-reminder.
Tell me, which title would you pick from the 2. (now, be honest)
- “Lose belly fat with right diet & workout” / “Lose Belly Fat in 7 days challenge”
- “Remove your dark circle with right treatment” / “How to remove dark circle in 5 days”
- “Grow your business by solving the pain points” / “Here’s the template to grow your business in less than a month”
I strongly sense most of us will go for the latter. We live in the world of INSTANTS – Instant coffee, instant fitness, Instant cure, instant growth, instant success. And, the list is endless.
Nearly every human prefers instant pleasure over delayed true happiness. Gambling is one of the fast-growing industries around the globe. We don’t need any other proof to say we love instant pleasure. All these scratch cards, lotteries, spin wheels are still exciting things for us. How much ever we evolve, we never failed to try these because of the instant prizes they reward.
Let’s be real. Instant rewards are impressive. So, why not go for it?
There’s nothing wrong with trying them. But, aiming for instant gratification in every other area of your life will make it tough to face the reality.
Why do we crave instant gratification?
1. Our emotions fight hard with reasoning
Research from Princeton University says that we have 2 regions in our brain – 1 for our emotions and the other for our reasoning. And, yes it’s the emotional part that likes instant pleasures.
When you have to choose between now tasty ice-creams and a carrot for long-term health, that’s when the battle begins. Your emotions urge you to choose ice cream. And, your reasoning would try its best to convince you of all the long-term health benefits that a carrot can offer.
And, the researchers concluded that impulsive choices or preferences for short-term rewards result from the emotion-related parts of the brain winning out over the abstract-reasoning parts.
2. We are uncertain about the future
Laibson at Harvard University says, “Our emotional brain has a hard time imagining the future, even though our logical brain clearly sees the future consequences of our current actions. Our emotional brain wants to max out the credit card, order dessert, and smoke a cigarette. Our logical brain knows we should save for retirement, go for a jog and quit smoking. “
3. We take impulsive actions when our senses are attached to them.
When we see, touch, or smell a desirable object, we tend to take impulsive actions that we later regret. It’s because the senses trigger the dopamine-related circuits in our brain.
4. We are uncertain about the duration of the process
Research says that we reverse our own past choices if we’re unsure of how long an awaited outcome will be delayed. Maybe, that’s why we reverse most of our diet plans. They call it self-control failure.
Why is it bad to choose Instant Gratification?
The Obsession with instant gratification blinds us from our long-term potential
– Mike Dooley
Remember the remarkable “Marshmallow experiment”? It’s the first experiment to show why delayed gratification is worth it. The experiment was so simple. The children were asked to pick one from either one treat now or two after 15-20 mins.
And, yes as expected most of the children picked the instant gratification. But the best part comes when the researchers tracked them for a few years later. The ones who waited and delayed their gratification, were able to have better life outcomes as measured in SAT scores, BMIs, and other life measures.
Self-control, willpower, and strong determination are the essential pillars to attain any goal in life. You need to say no to the temptations of instant pleasures to taste true happiness.
Yes, we are smart enough to understand what’s wrong. But not wise enough to choose what’s right.
Here are some strategies to keep a check on you. Try these to gain the satisfaction of Delayed gratification.
1. Become aware of your temptations:
Whether to check the messages or to eat the french fries (Yes, I love ’em), all of us tend to have the urge. You don’t have to act upon all your urges in one go. Wait, take time, and watch them arise.
List down whatever you feel are hindrances to your growth. That you do just because of the instant pleasure it offers.
Start with one at a time. Say, if you want to start with the temptation to check social media every now and then.
Start writing down whenever you have the urge to check social media. It’s because when you track what you do, you will become more aware of it. And, you will be more cautious the next time as you have to record it. After practicing it for a week, assess how many times you had the urge. By reflecting on your activities, you can make mindful decisions.
Yes, even I felt lethargic to write ’em down every single time. But, It’s worth a try. Give it a shot and you will be amazed by the results you get.
2. Practice Delaying Gratification with Small Things
It takes all your willpower to resist your temptation. Willpower, as everyone says, it’s like a muscle. You have to build it gradually with the right workouts.
Delay your gratification for a short time. Say, if you have the urge to grab that chocolate cookie, wait for a few minutes. Or, you can have it as a reward for some real activity towards your goal. Like after completing 20 push-ups for your weight loss journey.
It helps in 2 ways. One, when you delay, it questions your temptation and there’s a high chance of holding back with your urge. And, secondly, when you do some activity towards your goal, you will start having that end result in mind. This chocolate cookie might seem small in front of your ideal BMI.
By giving up these small urges, you will find it easier to handle the delays in big businesses of your life.
3 . Have your WHY in place.
As everyone says, it’s always the best practice to attach your goals with your WHY factor.
‘I want to lose 7 kgs’
Look at this goal. It’s not SMART and doesn’t have a WHY? So, it’s easier for you to get distracted by the instant gratifications. You will start eating junk soon. Because you don’t have any other factor attached to it. But, check this.
‘I want to lose 7 kgs in 3 months to get my ideal BMI and lead a healthy lifestyle’
This will keep you mindful of the choices you make. So, the next time when junk is approaching you, you know why you should say no to it. As now, you have a clear reason along with what and when do you want to achieve it. This keeps you accountable to yourself.
4. Give it Some Time & Enjoy the Process:
We are just starting off. There will be many times you get defeated by your urges. But, that’s okay. Give it some time.
We listened to all the urges for years together now. And, resisting them overnight is hardly possible. So, treating yourself hard whenever you failed, is only going to make the process tougher. Instead, pat yourself whenever you resisted the urges, whenever you could delay your gratification, and whenever you could try but still not win the game.
Start witnessing yourself as a third person and you could see the growth. The steps that you take every single day and the distance you traveled so far. It’s going to be an ongoing process for a long duration. Unless you enjoy the process, you can’t take it forward. So, appreciate and have fun with every single baby step you take.
5. Start looking at the bigger picture and have a serious plan for it
When you set a long-term goal, work on it in the reverse order. First set the ultimate outcome you’re aiming at. Then break it into yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily actionable steps. Yes, many of us know it. But have you arrived at your plan?
When you have strategies in place to achieve your goal, your mind starts believing it. And, when you have clearly listed action items in place for every single day, there’s the least possibility to get distracted.
Visualize you holding your success symbol. That’s an effective way to trick your mind every day to make it trust the process. When you could see yourself smashing all your goals in your mind, you cannot fall for those impulsive decisions.
6. Reward yourself for every single Milestone:
Last but not least, reward yourself for every single milestone you achieve. We yearn for these rewards. And, waiting for the bigger picture to become a reality is a serious threat to your motivation.
Mini-vacation, movie nights, long drives, and rest-only days are my go-to options for rewarding myself. It’s the best way to acknowledge all the hard work and determination we put into our efforts. Also, that’s the only way to fill our cravings for instant gratification.
To make the process more fun-filled, rewarding yourself can be the best way. But choose your rewards wisely that they don’t hinder the path towards achieving your goal. After losing 1 kg towards your weight loss journey, giving yourself a full cheat-week is not a wise idea. (Yes, it was me!)
Thoughts Put together:
Entrepreneurs should always aim to play the long game. Instant gratification cannot build a legacy.
–Andrena Sawyer
Today, our lives are not moving on but flying off. We have all instants in stores, social media, schools, and even hospitals. But studies after studies show that instant gratification is not going to serve your long-term goals. Be it health, finance, relationship, or career.
Yes, all great things take time and so as yours. Overnight success may seem flashy but check how long the success lasts. Because the fact is when someone attains something overnight, he can’t have any knowledge to maintain it.
So, though the road of delayed gratification seems rougher and harder, that’s the best way to attain the big picture on your head.
Serious about taking actions against instant gratification? Let me know what do you start with.
Lotsa Love
Sri
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