Deferred Gratification

Today's post goes out to all of those who are sitting in the boat waiting for the wind to blow. You have made your goals for the new year and you are debating if it is worth it to keep pursuing them.

It is painful to make choices that require sacrifices. You may be missing your favorite junk food and the workouts are time consuming. Cleaning and organizing is a tedious process. Sometimes, it just seems like it is taking forever to see the fruits of your hard work.

For almost five years now, I have been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches almost every day. It is a joyful moment when I am near my wife at her lunch break and we sit in the car together, each with our home-made lunches. These sacrifices are part of our journey and we both know that the gratification of lunch at a nice restaurant must be put off until the future.

I admit to my readers that until a few months ago, I savored an occasional Mountain Dew. It is perhaps the worst soda that you can drink. When I made my vision board and listed my new weight goal, I became inspired to give up the Mountain Dew.

The other day my dentist laughed when I told him I do my leg raises and stretches while brushing my teeth and flossing. All of these little things are to become more physically fit and be healthy in my golden years.

Yesterday I got to play my first competitive tennis match in a mixed doubles league. After losing the first set to a tough team, my partner and I came from behind in the second set to tie the match. In the third set, we came on strong and pulled out a victory. I give credit for the win to making changes in my diet and exercise habits so that I could be fit for moments like yesterday. My doubles partner follows a fitness plan and told me she almost never loses when her matches go to a third set.

This is what deferred gratification is all about. Make sacrifices today so that you can be financially fit, mentally fit, physically fit and spiritually fit. The greatest deferred gratification of all is Heaven. Spend some time today with someone who may need a lift in one of these areas. Don't worry if you don't see immediate results. The greatest joys in life require hard work and delayed gratification. Keep sailing, one day at a time.