What is instant gratification, and do you try to achieve it?

Do you ever find yourself doing something you want to do instead of something you should do? Maybe
you have a paper due that you need to work on, or you have laundry piling up that needs to be folded. Whatever the case, immediate gratification is a term that’s used to describe temptation that results in the tendency to perform tasks that don’t move you forward in the long run, but instead focus on more immediate benefits.

Foregoing Instant Gratification

Opportunities for instant gratification are all around us. Email, text messages, and social media make it easier than ever before to connect with people all over the globe. Food is also available at a moment’s notice – fast food restaurants can put thousands of calories in your hands in a matter of minutes. We all know our bodies are better served by cooking at home; however, just about everyone has been so hungry that they’re willing to disregard what they know is best for them and fill up on salty, greasy fast food.

The same principle exists when it comes to your achievements. When you find yourself starving for success, and you will, it may seem easier to just get a job, and end up working your fingers to the bone to help someone else achieve their success. Or, you can take stock of what you’ve done up until now. You can look for what works and what doesn’t, and make a conscious effort to continue in furtherance of your goals.

It Gets Easier

Avoiding distractions and choices that benefit you now at the cost of the future will be difficult at first. There’s a reason humans evolved with the habit of seeking instant gratification above their long-term success, even when that gratification comes at the cost of future achievements. The good thing is that it gets easier with time. As you continue to focus on your achievements and goals, and refining your process as time goes on, ignoring distractions and false ideas of success will come naturally, empowering you to strive even harder to achieve.

 Author and businessman, Tony Velasco, teaches the principles by which he built a multimillion-dollar business enterprise in his 20s. He lives in Valencia, CA with his wife, Allison. Tony believes that the prospect of losing is a part of growth, and greater than failure we should fear regret, in all things, at all costs.

His soon-to-be-released book, F**K Regret offers a step-by-step description of how the author executes every aspect of his daily life, how he was able to sustain the shutdown of gyms and other businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how he is rebuilding. Follow him on Instagram and at https://tonyvelasco.com