Why delay gratification in life?

Life is full of opposites; peaks and valleys, ups and downs, hard work and gratification.  One of the biggest questions in each of our lives is: how long can we wait and how hard are we willing to work before we need to stop, take a break, etc.  This introduces two alternatives- short term and long term gratification.

Short term gratification is the instant pleasure in life: tv, fast food, dessert, social media, even goes as far as sex and drugs for some people

Long term gratification is focusing on the "hard work" in life: weight loss, building muscle, starting a business, competing in sports, learning a new instrument, learning a new language, learning a new skill

Today's world is obsessed with short term gratification, technology simply makes everything one click away.  Making short term gratification that much easier to attain.  I suggest thinking about the big picture however.  If you're trying to lose weight, down the road do you want to be continually dealing with this problem? Constantly visiting the doctor, relying on medication for a decent life? Or do you want to be the fit older person who can still go on walk and play with their kids and grand kids? If you're thinking of starting a business, do you want to live an average life, and possibly retire later than you wanted so you can keep paying your bills? Or do you want to work hard for a few years while you're young, so you can enjoy the later years and do whatever you please? These are the tough questions we need to ask ourselves.  If you think about it, these questions boil down to a deeper meaning.

What matters to you more in life, pleasure or fulfillment?  Pleasure is short term gratification. Fulfillment comes from delaying gratification and working toward a big goal.  Nothing worth doing is easy! We makes these choices that define us every single day.  Make sure they are choices you are going to be happy with in the future. =)

If you're ready to change the way you look at fitness, diet, and lifestyle, order the ebook Inside the Mind of a Personal Trainer here.