Attention is one of the most important resources that we have. That’s why everyone and everything is fighting for your attention. All the outside world wants YOUR attention. Why? Well, because attention became our new currency. By getting your attention others are making money or feeding their ego. And you must step up and say “NO”. Because if you want to succeed in life you need to FOCUS on what’s truly important for you NOT for others. And to help you with that I wrote this post!
Procrastination is only seemingly harmless but in reality is quite dangerous, addictive and harmful. It may not be a deadly sin but it’s definitely a dream killer. Not to mention that it produces ZERO results. So the question you need to ask yourself is what do you want to do with your life? Are you willing to sacrifice instant gratification for a long-term reward or you’re satisfied with what you have already and you’re not interested in making progress in meaningful work? The choice is yours. But before you make this decision you need to consider one thing: do you really want to give up on your goals and dreams? Are you ready to trade an opportunity to succeed for short-time pleasure? And finally, do you really want impulse, emotions and fear of hard work to control your life? Because this is the real cost of procrastination. Are you ready to pay this price?
We live in a digital era that supports and actively promotes instant gratification. Modern technology, fast information exchange, the fake world of social media, online shopping with delivery at speed of light gives us the illusion that we can achieve greater fulfilment and life satisfaction without much effort. This idea that we can have everything we want almost immediately is totally delusional. But for some reason, we try to convince ourselves that we can achieve what we want without working hard. Well, it’s far from the truth. Because as we all know real success is built on achievement, not on a purchase order. You cannot expect that you will find fulfilment in life if you prioritize instant gratification over long-term goals. It’s not going to happen.
The feeling of instant gratification is fleeting but incredibly powerful and extremely addictive. That’s why there are so many people seek instant gratification at any cost. Dopamine addiction makes them unable to resist the desire to experience pleasure or fulfilment without delay. As a result, they are focused on the short term highs of immediate pleasure instead of building long-term satisfaction which, consequently, leads to unhappiness.
However, we cannot forget that dopamine plays an essential role in executive functions, motor control, motivation, learning, pleasure, reward and reinforcement. So as you can see, the role of this “happy hormone” is extremely important and should not be underestimated. The problems begin when you get stimulated all the time and you develop a tolerance for the high-levels od dopamine. Then before you know it, you become addicted to activities that produce short-term pleasure. In consequence, you become unable to resist temptations and instead of working towards your long-term goals you keep seeking immediate gratification.