The greatest struggles are in the mind.
Chief among these struggles is the desire for satisfying self a midst the pursuit of something of a higher level. Reaching new levels in all things requires leaving the current level where a measure of satisfaction already exists, and where we can gratify ourselves now (at least at the existing level).
Its important that we clearly understand the price of instant gratification. Instant gratification creates compounded delayed gratification. Because resources and time are lost, and the goal remains at least as far away, and often further. To succeed we must embrace delayed gratification. You must let the tree grow and mature before you can harvest fruit. You cannot shortcut…shortcuts kill the tree.
“To be free people we must assume total responsibility for ourselves, but in doing so must possess the capacity to reject responsibility that is not truly ours. To be organized and efficient, to live wisely, we must daily delay gratification and keep an eye on the future; yet to live joyously we must also possess the capacity, when it is not destructive, to live in the present and act spontaneously. In other words, discipline itself must be disciplined.”-M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled
