Without doubt these days we are living in a world of instant gratification, we no longer want instant when it comes to just our coffee, we want instant in every area of life.
Question is…
Is this is a good thing?…
Let’s discuss…
In this impactful post, you are going to learn:
- The true meaning of instant gratification…
- If instant gratification is worth your time…
- How instant gratification affects your life in the future…
So with that being said, let’s dive in…
Is instant gratification good?
This is a much trickier question to answer than at first it might appear, but I think it boils down to a generational thing. You see, when I was growing up we were constantly told to wait for what we want.
… I remember his old nugget very well, “everything comes to he who waits”.
Hmmm, perhaps the case when the world was setup up for delayed gratification, but certainly not in a world where we are setup to expect instant gratification.
I mean, we used to set long-term goals sure, but the focus was on the long-term rather than the short-term because we had been conditioned to expect everything to take some time to achieve.
It was pre-internet and we hadn’t yet been exposed to the idea of instant gratification and what I have come to call, the pleasure principle.
You see, psychology today is so very different and sets us up well and truly to fall into the gratification trap as I call it.
People aren’t to blame for falling into this trap by the way, they are reacting to the information they are being fed, and it’s the flow and quality of information that needs to take the blame, not the people being exposed to it.
What causes instant gratification?
The word ‘instant’ gives us a clue. People these days are accustomed (or conditioned) to desire things to show up now, and we attach pleasure to the idea of these things showing up in our lives.
You see this desire preyed upon in pretty much every marketing approach out there right now, and every time you give someone your email address, you give them the opportunity to prey on your needs some more.
Gratification meaning: ‘pleasure, especially when gained from the satisfaction of a desire’ is what the whole world is centered around these days.
In fact let’s boil it down a bit…
You can see a perfect example of instant gratification being a major part of every day life in a city such as New York, where everything is centered around a desire for instant this and instant that!
In fact people are being manipulated and it’s a marketers dream to be quite honest.
Even social media is designed to the same effect and really messes with your prefrontal cortex, setting it up to desire what is being sold, desire it on an instant basis and to attach pleasure to the idea of getting it too.
Makes you wonder if the people are actually in control of their own thoughts at all, right?
One clever marketing message, followed by another one and yet another one and you are forming a habitual routine of responding in the very way that the advertisers desire, you’re seeing things their way, and you are seeking instant pleasure from getting instant access to what they’re selling.
Here’s a question for ya…
How many examples do you see of delayed gratification in today’s high-tech, fast paced world?…
Not many right?
How instant gratification affects society?
People are caught in this instant gratification loop so the good news is, it’s not just you, it pretty much all people!
Anyone with access to the media through radio, television, internet etc, is at the mercy of the people selling you the dream of instant gratification.
In an information age where people are constantly being exposed to the way of the instant gratification/pleasure principle.
It has literally become the cornerstone of psychology today and is a bigger influence on people than it was at first given credit for.
Just look at the world we live in today. Who knew when microwaves and fast food became the vogue in the 1970’s that it would all lead to this?
You see, instant gratification in of itself is not the issue, it is just an indicator of the level of mass control that is now being exercised over the masses.
All rights reserved on this commentary by the way, it is my opinion and not a statement of fact, just one man’s observations put into the written word , and in a world where for the most part we are encouraged to exercise free speech, that is exactly what I am doing, no more and no less.
This is not a new thing, it’s just been exacerbated but the onset of the internet and more exposure to mass media and the opinions, wants and needs of others than ever before….
… And that’s made worse by the fact that we are watching more TV than ever before .
When I was a kid we had 3 channels and then eventually 4…
All of the channels finished at around midnight and that was your lot!
Wow, things have changes so much and on the face of it, you would say that it has changed for the better and. that would indeed be the case, if this technology was not being used in an adverse and controlling fashion to control the minds of the mass population.
I know, I know… You’re thinking this is all sound a bit like a massive conspiracy theory but not really. This isn’t theory at all.
We all know it’s been going on for as long as we have been able to project images on to a screen and governments had had to step in with legislation to stop manufacturing of certain beverages (you know who they are I’m sure), from flashing an image very quickly just before the interval at the movies), so quick you couldn’t consciously see it but it made an impression on your subconscious mind, and then… As of by magic, when the intervals happens, everyone is desperate to buy some of that tasty beverage to quench that insatiable, sudden thirst that has just overcome them.
This is not theory, it happened and is still happening.
But you have now been forewarned and forearmed with the knowledge that this is happening to all of us each and every day and on a mass scale.
How much each individual is exposed to is dependent on the level of exposure he or she allows themselves to receive.
You see everyone talks about fighting for the right to have freedom of speech but I never hear anyone banging on about fighting for the right to have freedom of thought.
So essentially that’s what I am doing right here and right now. I am standing up for our right to have freedom of thought and freedom of choice that is predicated on that freedom of thought and not influenced by some erroneous and improper external stimulus that stimulates our brain in such a fashion, that we think we are reacting to our own thoughts, ideas, wants and needs when really, we are following a set of programmed instructions that were most definitely are designed to benefit someone other than you.
Make no bones about it, this is not the ramblings of a madman, it is fact, it has been proven and is still, prevalent in todays world on scale never before seem.
And with that escalation in prevalence comes an increase in the danger posed by such underhanded tactics, so be warned my friend and immunise now.
How is it treated?
One way to restore some order in the way you approach this whole need for instant gratification is to consciously make a decision to stop, reflect and delay the decision making process.
You have the ability to make a change if you separate yourself from the external stimulus that is telling you that you need things now to be happy.
Temptation is everywhere but your response to this comes down to a decision you make in the end, and the first decision you should make is to be the one who controls the quality of content that is fed into your brain on a daily basis and as a result, the resulting actions you take will no doubt change too, and in many cases for the better.
Gratification can be found everywhere and in pretty much everything and it doesn’t have to be instant gratification in order for it to be truly rewarding.
If it’s great, then it will wait so delay it a while and make sure you really want or need it, and you’re not just reacting to what someone else has repeatedly drummed into your brain.
Who needs anyone else’s opinion anyway, they aren’t generally offering it for your benefit but to line their own pockets, so delay things and make sure before you commit.
One thing you can do starting today to get a grip on this instant gratification epidemic, is to exercise your ability to delay and seek more knowledge before you make a decision that impacts your life and your pocket book.
So why not delay gratification and you’ll find more often than. not that you make a better decision because of it.
Time gives us the opportunity to study, assess and re-assess which in turn affords us the opportunity study the information we are being fed with a little more scrutiny and a lot less panic, which has got to be a good thing.
Who says delayed gratification is a bad thing? I can tell you from personal experience and that of my coaching clients over the years that the opposite is true.
I remember another great old saying that went like this… “act in haste, repent at leisure!”
How true!
So why this obsession with wanting it all now, What is the thing behind the goal of instant gratification?…
In my own experience, time also allows you to really appreciate the true value of something you’ve obtained or earned and that is where true long-lasting gratification is found.
You have the ability to turn the immediate gratification tap well and truly off. You have to believe it and then take action on what I have been saying and you will see it to be true for yourself.
Gratification is a lever being misused against you to manipulate your thinking and compel you to take actions that benefits others.
Until now, you probably didn’t know that along with the billions of others on this planet who are nothing more than lemmings to those in positions of influence and power who are pulling your strings, night and day and even when you are asleep.
Yes that’s right, even when you’re sleeping that subliminal programming that has occurred while you were in a waking state is now affecting your through processes and manipulating your belief systems while you are sleeping.
Pretty scary huh?
I remember when I was young there was a TV show called the Generation Game, well we could call this whole thing ‘the gratification game’. It’s got a nice ring to it don’t you think?LOL!
You know, I’ve said a lot here but when it really boils down to the nuts and bolts of it all, what I want first and foremost , is for you to be aware that you are being manipulated, so you can take back control of the situation and become the captain of your own ship (as it were).
You may feel you’ve been steering your ship but perhaps now you realise that up until now, you’ve been little more than a deckhand. How does that feel?
How much gratification are you feeling now?
Conclusion
So my question is… What are you gonna do about it?
Are you going to let this information wash over you like some daydream, ot are you going to make some changes and take some action on what I have shared?
It’s your choice of course and that depending on how in the dark you have been with respect to this up until now, this may be the first time it’s been your choice!
But that’s the thing… It is your choice and it should always be your choice.
No one has the right to go into another person’s mind and manipulate it to their own ends, it’s scandalous and downright criminal in nature, yet it goes on everyday without anyone stepping to champion the cause and fight for our right to our think our own thoughts and create our own belief systems from those thoughts without external coercion and manipulation.
So I challenge you right here and now to step and be YOU.
Live your life ho YOU want to live it and not according to what anyone else has planned for you. Don’t be the deckhand anymore, but be the captain of your ship and steer it wherever. you desire because that’s your birthright.
It all starts with your choice to take action and remember…
“You can never discover new oceans until you find the courage to lose sight of the shore”
Now go get your gratification!
P.S. Remember, if you liked this post, you’ll love my completely free book that teaches you the single most important habit you’ll ever need for creating a life you love. Click here to get your free copy.