04 Sep Instant vs Delayed Gratification – Can We Have Both?

We all feel the pull of instant gratification. For instance – someone offers you a doughnut – Oh a delicious doughnut, I mean how much harm can one sweet little doughnut do, just this once? That’s instant gratification right there in the moment.

The problem we face is that we crave pleasure and comfort just as much as we crave health and vitality. But one of those options is, of course, instant, and the other is delayed – so how can we make that work for us? It is far too easy in the moment to say yes and forget our long-term goal.

Although just knowing that we want both options in equal measure is a revelation and it means we can strive to strike a balance between the two.

Focus on Introducing the Good Stuff

I believe if we focus on introducing more of the good stuff – on a meal-by-meal basis – we can allow ourselves to have some instant gratification from time to time.

If you load up on fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates (brown and whole meal) lean meat and fish, and eat healthier snacks, then when someone turns up with a box of doughnuts you can say, yes please, I would love one!

Be warned though, as you improve your diet you may feel less like eating things like doughnuts, or find it is just too sweet for your palate – this is the perfect and exactly where you want to be.

The 5,4,3,2,1 Method

According to Mel Robbins, counting down from 5 to 1 in the moment can change your thoughts’ direction and help you move gracefully from instant to delayed gratification. It is the perfect antidote to that default setting that makes your hand reach right into the box of goodies.

Try it next time you have been offered something you know is not good for you and see if it works for you. It is a gentle shift but stops you in the moment.

It can be used at any time, such as when you are about to hit the snooze button, if you are about to be judgmental about someone, or you are thinking of skipping the exercise you had planned out!

The Power of a Positive NO

I absolutely love a positive NO and in mastering the art of delivering a positive No when you need to, you are also mastering the art of saying YES to yourself. You are choosing, at that moment, to go for the delayed gratification option which is perfect.

Written by William Orr in his book The Power of a Positive No, the process really is quite simple. Say NO to bad food and lifestyle choices, say YES to health and vitality. What more can I add to this? Just do it!

Your Days Define Your Life

As Robin Sharma says in his book The Greatness Guide, your days define your life. Simply put, if you eat doughnuts every day, you will not have the healthy life you desire.

We need to break down our minutes, hours, and days to see what we are regularly doing and if we are doing something daily that does not fit into our greater goal, we need to really look at stopping this.

It is a game changer and can really help you alter the trajectory of your life. Read the book too, it is fantastic.

Have a Solid Goal

It is so easy to choose instant gratification if you don’t have a solid goal – not just something vague like – I want to lose weight. It needs to be more than that, you need a reason – a Big Why. It also needs to include other people, like your partner, kids or parents, those who are close to you and will benefit from your improved health.

Then you need a timeframe – a dress size in ten weeks, a daughter’s wedding, a friend’s graduation, a holiday – whatever you choose.

Then create a short phrase that could work for you in the moment. ‘A dress size down for Amy’s wedding.’ ‘Climbing Snowden with Patrick.” Whatever works for you will help you in the moment for sure.

Conclusion

If you really can’t resist and have tried some, or all of the methods above, then allow yourself from time to time to indulge. Sometimes it is good for your soul to let it all go and enjoy something, even if it is not great for you physically. But just remember your soul doesn’t need nourishment like this daily – only once in a while.

For more like this buy my book – Feeding Good Habits – available on Amazon.

Feed Good Habits Daily

Kathy Mac

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