In the digital age, short-term enjoyment seeking is the biggest threat to our health and wellbeing. No one is immune to this, even the most successful people on earth.

We live in a world where our behavior is constantly influenced by external factors, like social media, commercials, ads, billboards, and promotions.

Everywhere we go — live and online — people and companies want our attention to sell us stuff. Our primitive brains aren't built for that. They are designed to seek convenience and pleasure because, in ancient times, this increased our chances of survival.

Today, if you're unaware of your own psychology, chances are your constant quest for short-term pleasure will affect your long-term health and wellbeing down the line.

You risk harming your health, turning your body into your worst enemy, instead of your biggest ally.

Being aware of how short-term actions can turn into long-term issues gives you the power to choose your actions more carefully, like making short-term choices to turn your health into a competitive advantage. Who wouldn’t want that?

What feels good now, can be harmful later.

Ever caught yourself:

• Finishing off a bag of chips, even when you're trying to lose weight.
• Skipping a workout because you're tired and would rather lounge on the couch.
• Postponing something important because you'd rather do something enjoyable right now.
• Prioritizing short-term pleasure over long-term results.
• Wanting something but preferably as quickly and easily as possible.

Sound familiar?

These thought patterns are entirely normal. Normal in the sense that the majority of people think this way. Society encourages this behavior by making daily tasks increasingly easy and accessible. We want what we desire as quickly as possible, preferably with a click of a button, from the comfort of our own homes.

The consequences are often invisible and subtle in the short term, such as:

• Gradual weight gain.
• A gradual drop in energy levels.
• A pile-up of deferred tasks causing stress.
• And so on.

But these subtle consequences can have a significant impact on your health and well-being in the long run.

If you recognize yourself in this, you're not alone. And if you don't, you might be a Zen monk, you're not aware of it (yet), or you're simply not being honest with yourself.

This is human behavior; it just varies in degree from person to person. While this behavior appears normal and harmless, it can potentially become dangerous. It can have a serious impact on your health. This behavior is known as 'instant gratification'.

Take control

In this article, you will learn how 'instant gratification' can sabotage your health and how to prevent this. If you want to improve your health and physical condition, or if you notice that short-term behavior is hindering your long-term goals, then read on. This article can give you absolute control over your health, provided you are willing to look at yourself honestly and make the necessary changes.

Instant Gratification

'Instant gratification' is a term that refers to the temptation (and the associated behavior) to prioritize an immediate benefit, foregoing a future advantage. In other words, it involves opting for comfort and convenience in the short term, instead of long-term benefits or results.

It's a mindset that promotes behaviors like seeking fast results, 'quick-fixes', an easy way out, or the path of least resistance. In the context of health, it can involve:

• Crash diets to lose weight quickly.
• Extreme workouts to get fit quickly.
• Taking medication to combat symptoms.

Instead of developing a sustainable healthy diet, consistently following a well-thought-out exercise plan, or addressing the lifestyle factors causing the health issues.

It’s not just you, It's Everywhere

'Instant gratification' is all around us. During the last winter, I read an article in a newspaper titled "Everything to do with coughs and flu is flying off the shelves at the drugstore". It was about how cough syrup, throat lozenges, and painkillers were selling like hotcakes because many people were ill. This is a perfect example of the problem of instant gratification. This thought pattern prevents many from maintaining a healthy body.

Here are some common thought patterns:

• I have a cold, and it needs to go away NOW. Solution: I need cough syrup.
• I have a sore throat, and it needs to go away NOW. Solution: I need throat lozenges.
• I have a fever, and it needs to go away NOW. Solution: I need paracetamol.
• I have muscle pain, and it needs to go away NOW. Solution: I need painkillers.

I use the word 'solution' because that's how people perceive it. But in reality, it's a way to seek immediate relief or satisfaction.

Is it actually a solution to the real problem? No, absolutely not.

It's merely an automatic and often unconscious thought process: I'm sick, it's annoying, I want it to go away now, so I take medicine - the typical 'quick-fix'.

Does Convenience Serve People? Or Does It Weaken Them?

It seems that the convenience intended to improve our lives is, in fact, making us weaker. Today, everything revolves around convenience and speed, with minimal effort.

Why cycle when you can use an e-bike, or walk when you can drive?

Why cook yourself when you can order?

Too often, we choose comfort over effort. But as you know, many things of true value don’t come easily.

Health is a prime example of this. You can't buy a healthy body from a doctor, nor a fit one from a personal trainer. You can't simply purchase a new back from a therapist, nor can you order high energy levels online. What you can do, however, is make choices that contribute to better health, even if they are uncomfortable.

• Consider eating a salad instead of your favorite pizza.
• Or going for a run, even when you're tired.
• Maybe you need to do the exercises your therapist prescribed, even if they feel uncomfortable.

It's about learning to accept that some things require effort and results only present themselves over a longer time period.

The Solution: Build Strength

It's easy to choose short-term convenience over long-term results. Good health requires time, attention, and daily effort. And that requires mental strength. If you don't develop this strength, you will eventually yield to the allure of convenience and comfort.

The result?

• You take less responsibility.
• You entrust your health to chance, others, therapeutic treatments, or medications.
• You take your health for granted.

But nothing is guaranteed. You’re not entitled to good health; your health is the culmination of your daily choices and efforts.

If you habitually choose instant gratification, that behavior will become your default setting. And this behavior can influence various aspects of your life, including your health, relationships, and business. Consequently, you risk:

• Energy depletion
• Declining fitness
• Chronic stress
• Persistent discomfort
• Increased susceptibility to illness

But you have a choice. From this point forward, you understand that short-term convenience can lead to long-term problems. You can decide whether to opt for what's quick and easy or for valuable future results. However, this transition doesn't happen automatically. You need the fortitude to introspect honestly, confront yourself, undertake tasks you'd rather avoid, and embrace discomfort.

Practical Exercise: From Short-term Satisfaction to Long-term Results

Use these 6 steps to evaluate your current behavior and shape it in a way that it promotes long-term health and wellbeing.

1. Delayed results or instant gratification: Observe your daily habits. Where do you see yourself choosing quick results or short-term convenience at the expense of long-term results? Make a list of the behavioral patterns you notice.
2. The impact (in the long term): What is the impact of these habits on your long-term health and well-being? What are the consequences if you continue this behavior? What is the impact of that? Who else does it affect?
3. Stop it: Decide which habit you will change starting today. Decide to stop the ineffective behavior and determine what you will consistently do differently from now on.
4. Do it: Start your new behavior right away. Ignore the thoughts, feelings, and emotions that steer you towards your old behavior. Regardless of how you feel, keep doing what you've decided.
5. Deal with your internal world: Your brain doesn't want to change. It will do everything possible to experience that pleasant feeling immediately. Your brain creates thoughts, feelings, and emotions to prompt you to revert to your old behavior. Be aware, notice it, and do what you have agreed upon.
6. Recognize the value: Once people are rid of something, they often take the result for granted. They often stop doing what got them the results. Don't make this mistake. Be aware of the result and the value it brings to your life. That asks for more.

Change is not easy or pleasant, but it is absolutely possible and often necessary. Especially if your health is at the expense of your ambitions or other priorities in life.

Remember: The cost of knowing what to do and not doing it, is higher than just doing it.