I really want to illustrate this thesis with a story from life. For example, someone fat (let’s not point fingers) is going to lose weight. He chooses a diet and a training program, which he carefully adheres to, and as a result, six months later, this person drops, say, ten pounds. The other one does the same (at the initial stage) with only one difference: he sticks to the planned schedule, not for six months, but for two weeks and as a result… yes, no result. Looking at these two guys, we understand: there are cases when it is vital to have patience and wait.
Our age is so difficult: we are used to the fact that the result must come immediately. Any good can be obtained at any time, any time of the day and night. Do you want to watch porn? One click. Do you want to eat? Go to the microwave or go down to the 24/7 supermarket. Are you thinking of buying a new camera at three o’clock in the morning while you are still drunk? Variety of websites are at your disposal. Do you want to talk to a friend? Send a message. Do you want to have fun? Yes, there are a lot of options!
Our age is the age of “now.” Every second the machine for production and delivery of pleasures works at full capacity. At any moment you just put your mouth under the crane and fill yourself with any entertainments and pleasures, until you feel that you have already eaten up to nausea. You can control this flow, turn the crane on and off, and set the limits, not because it’s a natural necessity, but because you think it’s necessary. Society used to define what was sacred and wise, but now we do it ourselves. Why should we do this? Strange as it may seem, to get more pleasure and be happier.
Why is it good to put off the pleasures
We will talk about things that are incredibly unpopular these days, such as self-restraint and discipline. Even thinking about it is uncomfortable. Why would you deprive yourself of immediate pleasure? Because, frankly speaking, there is a lot of good in it.
1. You’re learning to settle for less
Same example of weight loss. On a diet, you gradually learn to eat another meal, and a cup of herbal tea without sugar can easily hide a sweet dessert. When you refuse to eat a meal with a pronounced sweet or salty taste, you return to the taste sensibility.
When you put off the pleasure, and then finally get what you want, you discover that in fact you need less, and something previously desired you do not need anymore. You think you need a new computer, you save two months on it, and when you have enough money, you realize that your computer suits you in everything.
2. You’re starting to take care of things more carefully
If you don’t give up the idea of buying a new item when you finally buy it after a long wait, you start to treat it better. Your parents were right… When you buy things yourself, you realize their true value. I always want a good thing to serve for a long time, and when you earn money with your hard work, you don’t want to waste it. This brings us to the next point…
3. You’re enjoying yourself without feeling guilty
Have you ever bought yourself something you really wanted, but you couldn’t afford it in a good way? When you got it, you’d be happy to feel guilty and think you’d probably have to tighten your belt and not spend it. These thoughts prevented you from fully enjoying the new look.
However, when you wait a long time for something and really earn it, joy and satisfaction are not overshadowed by any regrets. It’s like cheating on a diet: you eat a lot, but you know what you deserve, what you’re going to do, and every piece will do you good.
4. You feel better about life
Sometimes that’s what we miss in life – a sense of life. Feelings. Not just a good mood, but a deep sense of life. That’s why women start to inflate a scandal out of nothing, men change without love or look for other ways to feel alive and overcome depression. Paradoxically, but sometimes depression is a good thing because at such times you experience deep and clear feelings.
There are also healthier ways to feel life: you don’t have to scandal and change. Instead, you can let yourself get hungry and then eat well.
We often think that hunger is bad, and a sense of satiety is good. However, both belong to the spectrum of natural human sensations and have their own value. People equally need to feel both in order to understand themselves and the world.
If you want to feel the fullness of life, you have to feel all its sides: hunger and satiety. If you are constantly fed up, you do not know the true value of quenching hunger. This is not just about food.
5. You’re getting stronger and more disciplined
Development is necessary for a human being. You have to learn how to manage, satisfy or extinguish your desires. Man is his king, not a slave. To put aside pleasure means to develop self-confidence, to learn to control oneself, to disobey emotions and circumstances and to be disciplined. Discipline is like a muscle: exercises make it stronger.
6. You will become happier
A journey is far more important than where you’re going. You’ve probably noticed yourself that you have a lot more fun reaching your goal than reveling in the result of your work. Waiting for the New Year is much more enjoyable than the holiday itself.
I once read about one interesting study related to vacation and how happy people feel during the holidays. It turned out that the level of happiness returns to the usual mark two weeks after returning from the trip, and the greatest happiness people experience, waiting for vacation, not resting! Thinking about how great it would be to go somewhere makes us much happier than the trip itself. That’s why we warmly recommend that you divide your monthly vacation into four weeks and take it one at a time throughout the year, so you’ll have a lot more fun.
The best seasoning for your meal is hunger. Without contrast, you won’t feel the full pleasure of anything, and sweets are much more pleasant to taste after the bitter.
Don’t be mistaken: we’re not just talking about food. Remember that after separation from your girlfriend sex seems much nicer, and many couples before the wedding, are even refusing to have sex for a while so that the first wedding night becomes much more interesting.
Whatever you want, don’t do it right away. Pull back the pleasure and get it double.
Every man has the power to make anything sacred. This power should be used wisely: such behavior is a sign of maturity. By delaying pleasure or reward, you become happier and get more out of life.
