“There are very few men – and they are the exceptions – who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment”.

Carl von Clausewitz 1780-1831

 

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One of the most difficult things to practice in our lives is to delay gratification and to take a long term perspective with our projects. Our consumer society doesn’t help us when it encourages us to BUY NOW and PAY LATER. Many times, we buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people who don’t care. We should always try to make the difference between an expense and an investment. We should try to avoid instant gratification. It’s a big challenge because it goes against every major trend in our society.

It applies to other areas in our lives as well;

The Olympic athlete has to make a lot of sacrifices to reach his/her goal. The medical student has to concentrate on his/her classes in order to get the diploma. The investor has to learn patience if he or she wants to earn dividends.

It is difficult because we should enjoy every day like it is the last and at the same time invest our efforts and our resources for the future. The challenge for us is to find the balance between these two concepts.

Do you have the right balance between your daily activities and your long term projects?

Do you find it difficult to say NO to what you don’t really need?

Can you resist the temptation of buying NOW and paying LATER?