Delayed Gratification - Issue 11 - 29th May 2022
For this week, I thought I’d explore delayed gratification. This is the concept of either doing something difficult now so you are grateful you did later or not doing something pleasurable now so you are grateful later. We teach this to children when they’re young when we tell them “if you do your homework now, you can play for the rest of the day.” This is a valuable lesson to learn and one you should continue to employ in your life because it’s the cornerstone of embracing struggle. Although it is difficult for a child to comprehend this logic and it doesn’t get any easier to employ delayed gratification in our lives, it will always reap benefits later. Embracing struggle is doing something difficult now so you can reap the benefits later. Working out is doing something difficult now, but you’ll be grateful you did:
1) The night following the workout as you’ll feel energised and proud.
2) The following day because you’ll get a better sleep the night following the workout and you’ll have more motivation to undertake another workout today.
3) The rest of your life because if you continue to workout, you’ll be healthier, you’ll feel better and you’ll look better.
Working out is embracing struggle now, so you can be grateful later. It’s thesame with every struggle. Making the bed this morning leads to gratitude tonight. Not spending money you don’t have now on new clothes leads to gratitude when you have some extra cash in your savings next month.
Discipline Equals Freedom - Jocko Willink
It also applies to grander ambitions too. Spending the next few years working on your dream career in the evenings after spending the day in a difficult or soul-sucking job is a tough struggle but you’ll be grateful you did when, after a few years of grinding, you’re making money from you dream. Jocko Willink (retired Navy Seal) says that “discipline equals freedom” and what he means by that is the more disciplined you are, the more free you’ll be to do what you want. If you spend your existence working a job you hate, coming home, binging mindless television whilst eating rubbish, you’ll always be restricted financially, physically, mentally and spiritually. However, if you embrace struggle and aim high, eat nutritious whole foods, exercise everyday and work towards your dream, eventually you’ll be free. Free to do whatever you want, no matter how much it costs or how long it takes because you’ll be making money off of your dream and you’ll have thetime to do more. You’ll be free to move in more ways than the overweight and for longer into old age than those who make poor health choices and you’ll be free knowing that you’ve accomplished what you’re capable of. True freedom is voluntarily bearing the weight of responsibility for your life, embracing struggle and progressing forward. Those who don’t will never have the freedom of discipline and responsibility. It sounds like a paradox that embracing struggle leads to freedom but the alternative is being stuck on the hamster wheel of society, answering to someone you don’t respect and not respecting yourself.
Therefore, the goal should always correlate to: work now, be grateful later. The whole idea behind embracing struggle is to voluntarily face difficulty so that you’ll be grateful you did later. There is no other alternative that breeds success. The only alternative is a life wasted and potential squandered. So start working now so you’ll be grateful tonight. Start working this year, so you’ll be grateful next year. Work and embrace struggle for the next five years and you’ll be grateful for the rest of your life.
Keep On Struggling,
Gregor
Documentary I’m Re-Watching - The Social Dilemma
This documentary has the potential to change your behaviour. It changed mine. I’m re-watching this in preparation for Episode 24 of The In Context Podcast in which my guest and I will be discussing ethical technology and social media. Follow my socials (linked at the bottom) to stay up to date with who I’ll be having on.
The first time I watched The Social Dilemma, I deleted my social media apps off of my phone. Of course I re-downloaded them, but the lasting effect of the documentary was that I am now more conscious of my usage of technology and the ways in which technology companies are fight for our attention. I also fairly regularly “detox” from social media in which I delete the apps off of my phone and only use them for professional purposes and I find that this reduces my usage after I re-download them and allows me to be more present and aware of the real world around me.
Here’s a short description of the documentary: “This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.”
Watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix or watch the trailer below.
P.S. one of the experts interviewed in The Social Dilemma is addiction psychiatrist Dr Anna Lembke, who I spoke with for Episode 19 of The In Context Podcast.
T-Shirts I Love - H & M
I realise that this is a boring recommendation but I’ve been on thehunt for good quality and reasonably priced plain t-shirts for years and I think I’ve finally found them at H&M. Their plain t-shirt range are a great price and last longer than any other brand I have tried. I like having a few plain t-shirts in my wardrobe as staples and these do the trick.
So guys, if you’re looking for some staple items for your wardrobe without breaking the bank, check out H&M’s range below. I’m also sure thewoman’s range is just as good.
Healthy Snacks I Love - Fruit Bowl Fruit Peelers
As some of you know, my method for eating healthily is to find healthier alternatives to unhealthy foods. So nutritious protein bars instead of chocolate, Graze Nut Crunch instead of crisps and I eat these Fruit Peelers instead of sweets. They taste great and count towards one of your five a day (if you buy into that). Made from concentrated fruit purées and juices, these are definitely something I make sure I have in the kitchen at all times.
Find them in most supermarkets in the UK or order on their website below.
Episode of Parts Unknown I Loved - Peru
Parts Unknown is a documentary series in which TV chef and personality Anthony Bourdain travels to various cities and countries to explore the sides of them that tourists rarely see. The examination of food, cultures and people is what makes this show unique and a welcome break from the TV news cycle. What you see here is not what you see elsewhere. Although places like Libya are drowned in negative narratives and stigma by the mainstream media, Bourdain shows that there are other stories to tell with a more optimistic slant.
I recently watched the Peru episode in Season 1 and it’s a hilarious journey towards the most rare cocoa beans in the world, in which we see thehumorous side of Bourdain as well as his long-time friend and chef Eric Ripert.
Watch the Peru episode of Parts Unknown on Netflix until the end of May or via Amazon/Freevee below.