How to Harness the Power of Delayed Gratification

 What is delayed gratification?

The Britannica website defines Delay of gratification as the act of resisting an impulse to take an immediately available reward in the hope of obtaining a more-valued reward in the future. 

The ability to delay gratification is essential to self-regulation, or self-control.

Leaders who find their careers derailed often have their immaturity and need instant gratification to blame. Examples of leaders chasing instant gratification are taking shortcuts, being dishonest, and falling for easy money.





What are the benefits of delayed gratification?

  1. Builds a strong character
  2. Creates diligence, focus, and the ability to conjure up a detailed vision
  3. Helps with the ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty
  4. Creates resilience and the capability to see setbacks as stepping stones to success
  5. Creates a sense of optimism rooted in a solid foundation of beliefs about what is achievable




    What does this mean for the people in business?

     Usually, the most successful business people are the ones who have clarity and long-term vision with the ability to make proper decisions, which more often than not means delaying your gratification.

     Let's look at these two statements. 

    "My business is doing so well after only 2 years, let me take that 4-week break to Europe" versus 

    "My business is doing so well after only 2 years; I need a break to reflect. How can I achieve that while allocating my resources to ensure I can travel Europe for 6 months 2 years from now."


    It has been proven time and again that the person willing to delay their gratification with clarity, vision, and a set goal, becomes more successful and stable in every aspect of their life.





        What dictates your ability to delay gratification? 

        A common denominator is your natural environment, a reliable experience versus an unreliable experience.


         What can we learn from this?
          Success in any field comes from being disciplined and taking action. Instead of becoming distracted and doing what's easy, it requires you to ignore doing something easier.

               

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