Rethinking Delayed Gratification

Written By Colēgia

We've talked about instant gratification before and why it's good to not rely on it for our enjoyment but what about delayed gratification? Oftentimes we're praised for being able to do this so that we're able to get the things we want in life later and sometimes more of them as a result. Today we want to rethink this and see where it applies to and if it's worth doing.

Why Delay Things?

One of the first things to ask ourselves is why delay things in the first place? Why wait to enjoy things that we could enjoy now? This is often something that gets brought up when thinking about something like money for example. A common reason for this is that we might not have money saved up for later when we really need it. This is valid and important to remember since we need to be considerate of our future selves when certain activities might be harder to do later. Delaying things can also be helpful if there's a goal we're trying to reach such as a certain diet we want to strive for. Instead of changing things all at once, a valid option could be gradually incorporating new things we want to eat to substitute older options. This type of delayed gratification can help us make adjustments incrementally rather than immediately.

“This is valid and important to remember since we need to be considerate of our future selves when certain activities might be harder to do later.”

Is Delayed Gratification Superior?

There's often the thought that delaying something often means it’s the better option. The thing with delayed gratification is that it's usually portrayed as a noble thing. It's good to consider that neither delayed nor instant gratification is necessarily good or bad, they're different depending on the context. Delaying enjoyment a lot early in life to prioritize it for later means that we're missing out on experiences that can appreciate in value for us. Using instant gratification as our only means of enjoyment means that we aren't cultivating patience and may not provide us with the discipline needed to truly get what we want. Both of these situations are less than ideal and we need a blend of them in order to find satisfaction.

“It's good to consider that neither delayed nor instant gratification is necessarily good or bad, they're different depending on the context.”

Reframing Fulfillment

Each of us has different things that make us feel fulfilled and gratification plays a role in this. When we work towards something we're doing it in the hope of it paying off. What happens if it doesn't though? These are the kinds of things we need to consider when it comes to delayed gratification since it's built on the promise that we will be rewarded for our efforts. In some cases, the discipline and skills we learn can be the real reward for the things we do and that's valid. In other cases, we may feel as if our time wasn't well spent and this is good to be aware of. Understanding whether or not something is worth delaying gratification for is a skill in and of itself, and only we can determine if it's worth doing. With that in mind fulfillment can be found in many ways and it's a matter of taking the time to understand how we spend our time.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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