Chasing pleasure

Do you remember trying to wake up on time as a teenager? My parents can attest to the fact that I rarely made it past “trying. Yet when I remember those occasional exciting days it was the exact opposite; it was ‘trying to stay asleep’ that was the problem.

My mother, on the other hand, awakens with a smile at 6:00am every single day. She consistently and enthusiastically jumps out of bed, eager to accomplish the day’s challenges.

So why did we differ?

We are all driven by pleasure, and are all chasing it on a constant basis. The big question is: Are you chasing short-term temporary pleasure? Or are you willing and able to hold off on the ‘now’ in order to attain the maximum benefit that comes with the long term achieved reward?

As a teenager I was only pursuing the short term pleasure of my warm cozy bed. The outside cold overrode any consideration of what I could achieve if I got up to conquer the world.

My mother, more mature and wise than I, was and is pursuing the long-term pleasure of accomplishment. She finds getting out of bed, facing her daily challenges, and becoming a better human being an extremely satisfying pursuit (even though I’m sure she would also enjoy staying in bed for another hour or two). The vision of the long-term pleasure is overriding that temporary satisfaction.

We all are individually programmed to chase what gratifies us. The only way for you to override that very tempting short-term gratification is to envision your long-term pleasure and pursue that.

You must make that future pleasure real to you. You must know that if you continue on the long-term path you will receive that pleasure in the end and it will be delicious.

Ask around, find out, explore; is it worth giving up the temporary pleasure for the long-term satisfaction of success?

I dare you to try it….