Delayed gratification is the unique ability to resist your temptation to enjoy something pleasurable instantly to enjoy a much better and pleasurable reward later on and instant gratification is the exact opposite of that. It is when you settle for a reward or something relaxing right now instead of pursuing something bigger and better later on.
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The reason I called delayed gratification a unique ability is because it is not something each one of us possess. Were we strong enough to prioritize delayed gratification over instant gratification, all of us would certainly have accomplished all our big dreams. Yes, delayed gratification is quite an important key to unlock great success and accomplishments. If you plan to make it big in your life, achieve greatness in whatever field or area you are passionate or talented in and want to unleash your true potential, you need to work on your ability to practice delayed gratification.
Why is it Important to Seek Delayed Gratification
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To reach a certain point, whatever it is, you need to put in effort, time and energy. You need to work hard to get your goal and if the goal is quite big, you are likely to go through a fair share of obstacles too. That’s the same with every goal. Nothing in life comes easy so if you wished to become a millionaire right away, drop that mentality and instead start working hard to actualize that dream.
Whatever your goal is, you need to work your ass off for it and while you are striving towards success, you are quite likely to be ambushed by different obstacles. These obstacles can be quite nasty at times. They scare you, make fun of you, pull you down and try their best to dampen your spirits. In all such times, many of us find it quite convenient to let go of our goals and settle for something instead. Because it is so hard to win a national level wrestling competition, you may drop the idea of participating in it at all and settle for being the best at state level. Because you need to put in your 200% to open another branch of your restaurant so you can expand your business, you decide to quit that goal and instead just settle with the one you are running currently.
There is nothing wrong with settling with what you have and being content with your blessings. You must possess that ability too. That being said, if you truly aspire for something big, you must not give up that soon. If a reward is too big and amazing, how can you expect it to come to you that easily? Of course, it would want you to work even harder to achieve it.
To keep pushing through the adversities and make certain your spirits stay high and reach the sky (wow, I’m quite a poet lol), you need to seek delayed gratification. When you seek delayed gratification, you become more focused on the end goal instead of an activity that seems more pleasurable to you right now. You shift your focus from what you can enjoy right now to what you can lay your hands on later on if you keep powering on.
It is delayed gratification that helps you stay put when the tough gets going and enjoy the cool, calming and rewarding breeze of victory after going through a harsh period of chilly winter. This ability makes sure you don’t give up on your dreams, your abilities and your passions. It helps you stick to what you believe in and objectify all your genuine and meaningful desires. It is this exact ability that all the most accomplished, inspirational and famous people in the world possess and one of the many keys that helped them unlock the success they are basking in now. One of the most inspirational and my favorite stories related to delayed gratification is that of Mr. Soichiro Honda- the founder of the Honda Corporation.
Mr. Soichiro Honda’s Success Story
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Mr. Honda started off with a dream to create a great automobile company. In 1938, he invested all that he possessed in a workshop and worked on developing a piston ring. He was still in school at that time. He wished to sell his creations to Toyota Corporation which is he burned the midnight oil to create the piston ring. When he was ready with his product, he presented them to his dream company but sadly, the company rejected his product because it did not comply with the standards of the company.
He kept working on the design for a few years and contacted Mr. Toyota again. This time Mr. Toyota approved of Honda’s product and gave him the contact he yearned for. Honda was delighted because his hard work had eventually paid off. However, another adversity was planning to hit him soon. Japan was gearing for a war and the government refused to provide Mr.Honda with the concrete he needed to work on the contract. This was quite a big blow but it did not scare Mr. Honda. Instead of succumbing to the adversity, he changed his approach and came up with a plan to battle the problem. He decided to create concrete and build his own factory. While Japan was at far, Honda gathered his team and asked them to collect all the discarded gasoline cans by the U.S. fighters. He used them to create the raw materials he needed to work on the contract. He survived all of that but unfortunately, an earthquake struck Japan and leveled Mr. Honda’s factory. At that time, he made the decision to sell his piston operations to Mr. Toyota.
Although Honda was doing his best to do whatever he could, he hadn’t still achieved the results he desired for. Instead of giving in to the obstacles that attacked him every now and then, he chose to persevere. When the war ended, Japan suffered from another blow- a huge gasoline shortage struck the country. Mr. Honda didn’t even have gasoline to drive his car and he could not get food for himself and his family. He was desperate and desperate times called for desperate measures so he created a motor and attacked to his cycle. He created a motorized bike that soon gained tremendous popularity. Soon, his neighbors were asking for motorized bikes too.
Mr. Honda then built a plant to manufacture motors for the motorized bikes. However, he was short of funds to do so and to gather enough funds to build a plant, he started reaching out to the 18,000 different owners of bicycle shops in the country. He encouraged them to lend him money by telling them this move would help revitalize Japan. He did manage to collect some funds but his bike was too heavy and not everyone was interested in using it. To resolve this issue so he could make more sales, he worked on a lighter version of the bike. He named it ‘The Super Cub’ and that design became a big hit soon. It also made him earn the Emperor’s Award. Soon, he started exporting his bikes to the U.S. and Europe and began working on manufacturing cars in the 70’s.
Since then, Mr. Honda never looked back. Today, the company ‘Honda Corporation’ has more than 100,000 employees in Japan and the U.S. It garnered amazing success and all of that happened because of the perseverance, grit, resilience and optimism of one person- Mr. Honda. He chose to seek delayed gratification instead of instant gratification and that’s exactly what eventually helped him achieve all that he dreamt of.
Was his journey? No. Was it easy for him to persevere in tough times? No. Did it find it easy to let go of his comfort to seek something better in the long run? No. But he knew he had to achieve his goal and so he did and for that, he always preferred delated gratification over instant gratification. It is this decision that made him win big in the end and it is the same decision that can do the same for you too.
Whatever your dreams are, keep believing in them and chase delayed gratification to actualize them. Sooner or later, that time will come for sure. Good luck with all that you venture into and thank you for going through this post. Hope it inspires you to be the best version of yourself.