7/5/26
In today’s day and age of one click purchases & immediately accessible information, instant gratification is seen as the norm though it isn’t always best – in fact, impulse control is an essential life skill.
But, we see everyone in a rush – people rushing on the roads rather than starting early, get into an elevator and they repeatedly push the door close button, investors want immediate returns, someone falls ill, we want our patient to be cured immediately and get back to action, we use AI to complete a task without checking the veracity, a weight loss program should show instant results, a tennis lesson started today should lead to a Grand Slam title tomorrow and the list goes on.
But, when it comes to achieving your goals, delayed gratification is the skill that will get you there faster.
Delayed gratification means resisting the temptation of an immediate reward, in anticipation that there will be a greater reward later. It’s a powerful tool for learning to live your life with purpose.
According to Freud’s “pleasure principle,” humans are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. This is why children seek instant gratification.
But as we mature, this desire is tempered by the “reality” principle, or the ability of humans to consider risks versus rewards, by which we’re able to delay fulfillment instead of making a poor decision – especially If the later reward is greater than the one we’d get immediately.
The Marshmallow’s Experiment was a wonderful research done on the subject.
(More about this on a later date, but those in a rush can Google it now)
And if you look around, you’ll see the benefits of delayed fratification playing out everywhere.
If you delay the gratification of watching TV, you get better sleep.
If you delay the gratification of finishing your workout early or walking those extra steps, then you’ll be fitter. Etc.etc.
Success usually comes down to choosing the pain of discipline over the ease of distraction. And that’s exactly what delayed gratification is all about.
We can actually train our ability to delay gratification, just like we can train our muscles in the gym.
Success in nearly every field requires you to ignore doing something easier (delaying gratification) in favour of doing something harder.
Iam reminded here of the centuries old famous Kabir Doha:
धीरे-धीरे रे मना, धीरे सब कुछ होय।
माली सींचे सौ घड़ा, ॠतु आए फल होय॥
It essentially teaches patience and means that everything happens in its own time. No matter how much you rush, a plant will only bear fruit when its proper season arrives.
Delay gratification for better results and stay blessed forever.
P.S. – Now you know the reason why I posted this blog late this Sunday morning.