Instant gratification

Restraint can be incredibly complicated some times.  It’s easy to kick back and say wonderful things about delayed gratification.  It’s another to look at a bank account that’s got money and follow that delayed gratification.  Often, it’s the money factor that causes the mental process to start ticking say, “we can do that… it’s only X dollars.  That’s not a big deal.  Yet spending X dollars on getting rid debt or increasing savings?  Oh no.  Couldn’t possibly do that.  See, it’s that whiny, screaming two year old inside of you, telling you to go do something because “you’ve got the money” when really you don’t and part of your brain knows it. 

Right now, I’m talking myself down from spending $20 on a game I didn’t budget for.  And part of me is screaming that I should just go and buy it.  But then I had a conversation with a friend last night, and that’s why I haven’t spent the money.  See, he took on a second job without purpose.  Just for the income.  “Getting more money” was the extent of his plan.  But what happens to that money?  The ants probably carry it away, if I was to guess.  Because there is no plan and no end game with that money.  There is no end in mind.  Steven Covey said “begin with the end in mind” and I have to agree with him.  Because I do have an end in mind and I do have a reason for not doing something right now. 

See, I made a plan.  A plan to get out of debt and to quit being broke and quit worrying about being broke.  It’s a good plan, or at least I think it is.  It will work, even though it will take several years.  And I didn’t put that money into the budget to buy that game this week, so I’d have to make up that shortfall some time later in the future.  I don’t know at what point that would be.  Probably another draw from savings.  But I don’t want to be that guy.  I don’t want to be broke, in debt, and hopeless.  I want to have enough control on my life that I won’t go off and piss away everything I’ve got. 

But it’s still hard.  See, the hardest part of discipline is doing it every single day, regardless of whether you want to or not.  But that is what will take you to the goal and get you where you want to go.  It’s up to us to decide the where.  So the only person you’re failing is you.  No one else.  So hop to it, bucko.  And quit trying to spend money you don’t have.