Instant Gratification

Immediate gratification creeps into my life too frequently and with little thought. I have been thinking about this for a while now and what it all means to me personally. It is becoming more and more clear over the past 14 days some of the areas I have allowed mediocrity to insert itself into my life without realizing it. 

I am following a detox/cleansing regime with Sifu Cosgrove's assistance and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. While it might not have been the best timing, I am not one to pass up an opportunity. My work schedule has been crazy busy and I haven't had a day off in 11 days now and with another 5 days to go until I finally get a break. Most of these days are full days with a couple of half days to fit in some errands and appointments. 

The whole detox thing came about quickly and not a lot of time to prepare so extra time is needed most days to prep food. Avoiding dairy, gluten and meat with the detox and being so busy with work, there have been times when the pull of a quick fast food meal was very appealing. It's all about immediate gratification and yet I have managed to stay true to the diet plan. There have been a few minor slips at home, but at least done consciously and in moderation. 

Examples are everywhere and it is often about convenience. I see all the liquor stores everywhere, the smaller drug stores popping up all over, cannabis stores and have even noticed lately new tire and lube shops. Why do we need so much of everything? It's over-consumerism and convenience. Instead of having to drive 10 minutes down the road, what you need is now 2 minutes away. 

I also see examples of people and businesses not recycling. Not taking the time to put protocols and systems into place to take care of simple things. My newest job throws out numerous batteries into their regular garbage and tosses out recyclable bottles. The recycle depot is a block away. Oh my! That has to change. I am planning to help them implement some changes for the better. I'm not perfect either and know that there are things that I do better myself when it comes to recycling, reducing and reusing. 

Living intentionally is the answer. We are all human and so immediate gratification will not be completely erased. There are times when being spontaneous and saying yes can be a good thing. The more we can practice delaying gratification to make conscious choices, the greater the rewards will be. Immediate gratification is short lived and often comes with negative consequences. Being aware is a good start to making better choices and creating intentional living for the betterment of ourselves and environment.

Michele Ward