Shifting From Sacrifice To Investment

One of ‘humanity’s fatal flaws’ is that we are designed to prefer immediate gratification. Our inclination to meet our immediate needs for high-carb foods, energy conservation, stimulation, and safety (among other things) is responsible for many of the choices we make that we later regret. 

It’s a battle we fight every day: What feels good in the short term is bad in the long-run… And what’s best for you in the long-run often doesn’t feel good in the short term. 

For that reason - personal development, self-growth, and ‘living your best life’ is often associated with being more disciplined. In doing so we reject our impulses and take action in ways that serve as investments for our future-self.

Given this context and speaking of Future-Self… I’m currently re-reading the book “Be Your Future Self Now” by Benjamin Hardy and wanted to highlight a brilliant way he expands on the way we relate with our efforts to delay gratification:

Either we’re sacrificing for our future self, or we’re investing in them.

Sacrifice makes being disciplined seem like it’s inconvenient and undesirable. Like there’s a big cost that you feel that decreases your quality of life.

Investing in your future self feels way more additive and productive. Like a traditional investment, you’re allocating resources now for a greater amount later. We willingly and consciously offer what we have now as a means of getting a return on our investment.

And it makes so much sense. Your Future Self is you today, but more! More capacity. More skills. More character. How are you supposed to become more? Investing today to yield more tomorrow.

So the next time you’re holding yourself accountable to making the decision that serves you in the long-term - choosing salad over fries, getting to bed on time when your friends are staying out late, saving money for a program and not blowing it on things you don’t need - try to view it as an investment.

It’s not feeling like you’re refusing to give yourself something that you want now… But rather choosing to give yourself something way more valuable in the future. 

Now don’t get me wrong, it still might feel like a bummer. This new perspective doesn’t guarantee that you’ll always feel inspired to invest in your Future Self.  But rather than doubling down on how much you’re sacrificing, putting more pressure on yourself that it’ll all be worth it, you can view it as an intentional bet you're placing on yourself and one day, you’ll get to see how it pays out!

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