Day 13: On What You Want Now and What You Want Most

Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.

—Unknown

If you’re on a diet and decide to eat a piece of chocolate, you’re deciding that the instant fleeting pleasure is worth it more than your long-term goals.

Obviously, one piece of chocolate doesn’t immediately translate to gaining weight, but it sets a precedent that (over the long term) does change your body in such a way that it reflects your preference for “what you want now,” not “what you want most.”

Each time you make a choice that favors instant gratification, your behavior signals that you have weak motivators. If your “reasons why” were strong enough, you’d be less likely to go with what you want now .

Imagine a straight line. On one end, there’s the satisfaction you get from what you want now , and on the other end, there’s the satisfaction you’ll get from what you want most . If the two ends are close to each other — meaning you only want what you want most a little bit more than what you want now — you’ll have a problem delaying gratification. If, on the other hand, the thing you want most is so much more rewarding than what you want now, you’ll have an easier time resisting the temptation .

To achieve your long-term goals, make sure that the satisfaction you get from what you want most is always much stronger than the satisfaction you can get from what you want now.