Do you believe in delayed gratification?

When I was a teenager, we had a VW bug. You know that spark that comes from spur of the moment adventure? My friend Sarah and I did not delay our gratification! We’d hop in and go.

Was that bad?

I have a friend Steve who decided to delay his gratification by working day and night at a startup company at the expense of seeing his son.

Was that good?

There are lots of mixed messages out there! Do we seize the day or plan for a rainy day? And how long do we have to delay before it’s OK to gratify?

There are all those studies telling us delayed gratification is great, but is it always best? OMG, how do we know what to do?

Here’s what I think. You have a KNOWING. You can actually TELL what you want. It can feel miserable to deprive yourself of ice cream so you can someday fit in to those skinny jeans. Or it can feel alive and energizing to pass up ice cream knowing you are being loving to your body.

Check with your knowing.

See how it feels.

These are choices. There is not a right or wrong answer.

There is only YOUR answer in this moment. No one else has ever been you, knows what it’s like to be you, or can feel the pull of your dreams.

Look inside and choose. Again and again and again.

Today might be a huge bowl of ice cream overflowing with deliciousness. Or it might be a small scoop where you savor each amazing bite. Or maybe it’s the lighthearted feeling of not eating any ice cream.

There are no rules for a life well lived. There are no experts on you, except you. You can’t get it wrong.

Tune in. You know.
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Photo credit: flickr.com/shuttermama