A truth has recently dawned on me. It isn't that I hadn't heard it said countless times before, but it never really sank in. But now I have learned a secret long know by the truly happy. It is a key ingredient to a happy life.
Before I let you in on the secret, I have to warn you: you probably won't believe it. I didn't believe it for years. Intellectually, I have been persuaded by the mounting evidence surrounding the veracity of this secret. Emotionally, I am still trying to understand the implications.
Happiness is elusive. It isn't hard to find, but it can be difficult to keep. Countless individuals have found happiness in the midst of a windfall, only to find themselves dissatisfied. A change in fortune, an increase in wealth provides a temporary sense of euphoria, but it is usually short lived.
The secret to genuine, lasting happiness is delayed gratification. I know what your thinking, "How can not having what I want when I want it, ever make me happy?" In an immediate sense, it can't. If you only wish to live in this moment, without thought or concern for the future, delaying gratification will never make you happy. However, learning to give up a momentary pleasure for a more permanent pleasure, can make you happy.
For example, imagine yourself watching your favorite t.v. show. As you're sitting there, you begin to crave ice cream. In your mind, you can taste its creamy richness. Your mouth begins to water, your tummy begins to rumble. "Mmmmm, ice cream," you think. At this moment, nothing short of a heaping bowl of ice cream is going to make you happy. However, you're not thinking about those tight pants you'll have to wear to work tomorrow, or the high score you'll get on you next cholesterol test. Sure, your taste buds would probably do a happy dance over the ice cream, but your waist wouldn't be singing "the Hallelujah Chorus" anytime soon.
By delaying your gratification, you prolong your happiness. Some might argue, "If I wanted ice cream, and couldn't have any, then I wouldn't be happy." But what if you wanted something more than you wanted ice cream. The principle applies to much larger concerns as well. Whenever you hear a musician that can really play music, you can be assured that they gave up something else to have that ability.
I want to put this secret into practice in my life this year. I hope that I succeed. There are things more valuable than the momentary pleasures that seek to distract us from higher things.
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