About Scott DinsmoreWhen was the last time you sacrificed something today, for a better outcome tomorrow?
Life is full of trade offs. Buy the nicest clothes today or build your nest egg for later. Enjoy your ice cream tonight or fit into your pants tomorrow. They are everywhere.
Often it’s the short-term temptations that keep us from ever experiencing the long-term fulfilment of doing the things that are best for our lives and our bodies. Everywhere we look it seems like that we’re encouraged to exploit the short term. Most products, foods and advertisements focus here.
Don’t get me wrong, I am more passionate about the ‘carpe diem’ way of life than most. Today is the only day there is, so take advantage of it. Live it to its fullest and don’t look back. A life of passion begins with a day of passion. Being in the Now has been a buzz-phrase for years-the idea that fear only exists in the past and in the future, but in the present moment it all gets released and we’re free to enjoy.
I agree on all fronts.
But in a world of obesity and so many unfulfilled careers, I feel we’ve gotten the wrong message. It is crucial to live each day with energy and happiness. But just as important is having that align with your long-term visions for life. Blissful living and consumption without a care in the world for the future will likely get you into a deep hole if you’re not there already.
In my pursuit of a healthy and energetic life on purpose, I’ve found that every endeavor seems to come down to this core theme:
Short-term enjoyment vs. long-term fulfilment.
Starting a business has been one of the most direct trade-off experiences for me. I had so many friends and colleagues who were making good money, and conveniently getting paid every two weeks, as I stood there making no money, working like crazy on something I loved. It required a change in lifestyle.
I had to move home with my parents for a while. I had to cut back and learn to live simply. I made major shifts in the effort of building something that lead towards my dreams. At first they weren’t all comfortable adjustments, but I learned to love them all and looking back I would not have had it any other way.
Classic short-term trade-offs include:
Pursuing your dream of starting a business requires giving up the short-term comfort of income and job security.
Living a long and healthy life requires saying no to a few more drinks and French fries today.
A stock market investment requires the patience of forgoing current spending to enjoy a larger sum of money years later.
Building a happy family life requires major personal time sacrifices early on.
This list could go on forever. In order to experience any of these life plans with enjoyment, we must find a way to embrace the sacrifice.
How do we find enjoyment in the short term while still experiencing our dreams in the long term?
Find Balance. Extremes can be the most difficult to balance. Even though you may be building a pristine body long term, doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your favourite wine or some treats here and there. As soon as something becomes a chore, the fun goes away. Without fun, there’s likely no commitment.
Don’t Compare. The easiest way to be discouraged with your short-term decisions is to watch others with totally different goals. My goal was to have a lean, fit and energetic body, but it used to frustrate me to see others eating and drinking everything under the sun. They clearly had different priorities. As soon as I realized that, the pressure released. This is just as relevant with careers. Remember, you are the only one travelling your path.
Love the process. Every real surfer loves to paddle, since it’s about 99% of what they do. Learn to love the paddle of your life. If you’ve switched to a predominantly vegetable diet because you believe it’s most healthy, find the best and most fun ways to prepare your meals. If you are building your dream business, celebrate every day’s accomplishments. Everything comes down to the process. Learn to love it.
“It’s how you got there. Not what you accomplished.”
-Yvon Chouinard
Have fun with it. Feel awesome that you’ve decided to make a long-term commitment with your life. It’s fun to know you are intentionally living a certain way.
Live your purpose. If you know you are living your purpose and building the life you are meant to build, it will make any short-term difficulties all the more palpable or even enjoyable.
Living congruently with your purpose, value and mission is the best way to meld the short term with the long term. Health is my number one value so passing up many of the options at restaurants is not a big deal. I enjoy it. It makes me feel awesome physically and mentally. And after a while, it’s no longer a choice I have to make. It becomes natural.
Life is full to trade-offs between now and later. Most things if we don’t do now, we likely won’t do later. People will always do things that have the potential to throw you off. It doesn’t make a difference what they’re doing as long as you’re comfortable with your path.
The pay-off often comes sooner than you think.
In many instances it seems today’s enjoyments are traded for fulfilment 20 or 30 years down the road. But what you’ll realize once you start your journey is that the pay-off may come a lot sooner. Doing what you love for work means you’ll have fulfilment by the moment, not just when you reach the mountain top. Passing up rich food at lunch will pay off in the form of no stomach ache and loads more energy only 30 or 40 minutes later. A hard workout this morning leaves you feeling on top of the world before breakfast.
Those are almost immediate results for your actions. And those actions, when put into daily practice, will also yield your dreams many years down the road. Knowing results are closer than we thought, is what can keep us on track to realize the life we desire.
Remember, happiness not spent today does not equal more happiness tomorrow. If we cannot find a way to enjoy the short-term reality of our long-term pursuits then it’s all for naught. The beauty of living a congruent life is that the short and the long term become one. Daily healthy and congruent short-term actions eventually lead to a life of long-term fulfilment.
In the end, your life is a product of today’s decisions. Act upon them wisely and the results will be yours to enjoy…today and for the rest of your life.
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Hi Scott.
Welcome to CYT and thank you for writing an article so close to your wedding day.
You’ve written a great piece here and very pertinent in todays world of ‘now, now, now’. I guess it comes down to living within your values and principles, as you said. If you can figure out what your core values are it will be easier to keep your eye on the long term whilst still enjoying life just now.
Thanks again Scott and good luck for the 21st August – Wishing you and your future wife all the very best
Many thanks Steve. It was a pleasure to contribute. This weekend will be as special as they come indeed!
I feel like values, clearly understood, can be the answer to so much confusion. You just have to spend the time figuring them out and prioritizing them in the short term to enjoy the benefits in the long term…no surprise there, eh?
Thanks again,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Hi Scott
I really enjoyed this post. The balance between the short term fulfillment and the long term dream is a difficult one for so many people. I have seen many folk work extremely hard to build up a pension pot so that they can retire early only to be thwarted by the stock market or untimely death.
I think a planning element is important so that you know what you want and you realize what investment is needed in terms of your time and your energy is. However I don’t subscribe to the idea that there must be pain and great sacrifices to make a gain.
I think it is very important to live in the now but with an eye to the future.
Marion recently posted..Feeling Confident – How to Boost Confidence with a Bubble
I remember someone quoting Zig Ziglar. He said ‘People often fail at goals they want to reach in the future by working for goals they want to accomplish now.’ The article is inspiring because it teaches how to enjoy the instance and also work toward future goals. What say Marion?
Jaky Astik recently posted..You fret because you’re unorganized
Very appropriate quote Jaky. Nice!
Colleen recently posted..City of Pasco WA Parks and Recreation Sports Clinics and Classes
Good quote Jaky. It can be so easy to get distracted by the purely short term things when trying to focus on the big picture. That’s why some type of a plan is crucial.
Thanks for the comments,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Could not agree more Marion. I think Tim Ferriss put it perfect with his idea of mini retirements. Why wait your whole life to finally retire in your oldest and least active years, and find out that it’s not as great as you thought it would be? Why not just spread that retirement out and bring it forward and take a few months each year or so? I think that’s pretty brilliant and really lives to the truth that happiness not spent today does not equal more happiness tomorrow.
Thanks for the thoughts,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Hi Scott,
Indeed, successful achievers do all the things that nobody wants to do. It is easy to get caught in the drift of life and collect a pay check. Real fulfillment is committing to our vision and doing whatever it takes to get there. Being totally absorbed and passionate about our vision is in itself a fabulous reward. Once we have experienced this ‘marvelous obsession’ there is no going back. It is empowering to notice that the ‘pay-off’ comes with our unwavering commitment to the journey.
Right on Rob. The key is experiencing that marvelous obsession as early in life as possible. Then you know what’s really out there to experience and it will keep you focused and inspired on the very most important, both long term and short. That obsession really is an amazing feeling isn’t it?
Great point,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Scott, the part about balancing really caught my eye. I think we are the happiest and we get the best results when we can mix the journey with the destination and enjoy both of them. Focusing just on one of them means wasting potential.
Agreed Eduard. Ideally, if you are really living on purpose and with your values, the short and long should most always be one in the same in a way.
Thanks,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
“Short-term enjoyment vs. long-term fulfillment.”
We have 5 kids so this is our way of life. On the death bed, folks do not think about the money they didn’t have, but they will be thinking about the relationships they didn’t have. We want to be thinking about the great relationships we have as a consequence of the sacrifice of time put into them.
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Relationships are the perfect example Colleen. The only way to build them to be wonderful in the long term is to nurture and enjoy the in the short term. Sounds like you are becoming an expert at that one!
Great thought,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Hi Scott,
I think finding our puspose and having a balance is the best thing we can do to live in the present and enjoy the long term goal that we have. Thanks for sharing
Dia recently posted..6 Steps to improve your relationship with your spouse
Purpose can make all the difference indeed Dia. We just have to spend the energy up front to sort that out! It’s a great process once you dive into it and it never really ends.
Thanks,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Hi Scott,
This is a powerful article. Thank you.
2 points that I think you make particularly well:
1. Enjoy the adventure (process). Living life with curiosity can turn difficult situations into opportunities. Its all about the way you frame the experience.
2. Carpe diem is not the same as “if it feels good, do it….” It is also not a substitution for having a life’s purpose, and life goals. The point of living in the moment is to appreciate and accept experiences as they come, and align your actions with your own values, purpose and goals.
Life is not a dress rehearsal.
Thanks!
Chris
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Very well put Chris. It’s a bit of a modified Carpe Diem. If you live that too directly, moment to moment, you’re likely to end up in bad shape, or even worse…;) Carpe Diem+Purpose is the perfect combo.
Great thoughts,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Hi Scott, thank you for the great article. I like your points about balance, living your purpose, and the importance of enjoying the journey – it never hurts to be reminded of that
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It all comes down to the journey doesn’t it Cristina. We never actually ‘get there’ anyway!
Thanks for the comments,
-Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Scott, I loved your article, it shows deep wisdom. I fully agree with you – living in the “now” never meant to indulge in “blissful living and consumption.” Truly living in the now makes us wake up to the potential consequences of our actions. I really appreciate your 5 points on balance short term joy with long term achievement, especially enjoying the moment and not comparing. Thanks so much for your sage advice.
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That comment made me free awesome Sandra. Thanks! I think if we can get the comparing thing figured out, we will all be in such good shape. It’s constantly around us so we have to stay sharp with it. It’s a great practice, no comparison, to get into. So glad my thoughts were helpful.
Thanks,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Very thought provoking article Scott – the balance between living for tomorrow (with the chance that ‘tomorrow’ will never come) and enjoying the day.
It boils down to what kind of pain do you want to experience – the pain of disciple (today) or the pain of regret (tomorrow).
Always get a ton out of what you say – thanks!
Thanks Katie. I think the real goal is shifting the focus away from pain. If you are living on purpose, it should not be painful to do today’s tasks since they are all going towards the right overall vision. There is a harmony there for sure.
-Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Not comparing result to others is the cornerstone of success for many. People see the results of others and get discouraged. Wen i see the results of others and there beyond mines at the present moment. I get excited. It motivates me in a way not known to man. It pushed me to go further and jump higher than all the rest. It also keeps me grounded to know there is always someone working harder and longer than me. An individual who is doing more guest posts, achieving more massive results and getting around like 2 pac.
We all need to humble ourselves, be happy where we are and never give up. It’s the word we spread as philosophers or experts in this field. But without us being the example of our talk we are just balloons with hot air being blow out. Not a good look!
2 Pac is a much better look indeed! The ultimate is shifting comparison to motivation to be your best. Then looking around at others you will see one of two things: either you’re proud that you’re doing as well as you are or you’re fired up to bring yourself up to the level of those around you. Both are great outcomes.
Very cool that that motivates you as much as it does.
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
The art of delaying your gratification. How tough a lesson this one can be when you have to learn the hard way.
Very good post, so true!
I read a great book called The Slight Edge and this quote sticks with me, “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do.”
That quote fits in exactly with this topic of denying your immediate desires for the better outcome later. There comes much success when following that path. I have to admit that I was better about doing that when I was in school. I was really on top of everything and had great grades and I was never doing any last minute studying or finishing projects. I would do well to pick up those habits again. Thanks for the reminder!
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Once you realize that, it’s all down hill! It’s not like you have to wait a lifetime to enjoy the fruits of your efforts. There is often another harvest right around the corner. You just have to have confidence that it’s there.
Thanks for stopping in,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
I like to read this blog, always something interesting! Thanks for sharing this post, Scott!
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My pleasure Roman. Glad it was helpful!
Best,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Difficult choices life puts before us as our instant society demands that we enjoy our pleasures now. The battle between head and heart which the head normally wins (men especially driven by logic).
We know that our health is vital but the results of poor habits are seen slowly and they are not life threatening until the body says enough. Then we wake up and bemoan our lot with why did it happen to me.
Loud music and nightclubs go together whilst we are having a good time. Do it too often and before you realise it your hearing has gone.
It boils down to sacrifice now or pay later.
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You’re quite welcome Stacy. I find that school can sometimes be an easier environment for people to stay motivated since it’s so structured with predefined outcomes. In life it’s totally open and endless and takes a new type of focus and pure direction. Once the short term stuff starts feeling good because it’s exactly what you want to be doing for the long term, it becomes a lot easier. But always a fun challenge indeed.
Great quote,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
This is really a great article! It holds true in many ways. There is a balance that must be made between short term happiness and long term success. Having a perspective that let’s you enjoy the moment is key, and working to manage this with ambition and drive can provide a route to fulfillment. Anything that is significant will take time and effort and we must know the pay off will eventually come. Thanks!
No question about it Joe! The key is enjoying every bit of the process. The sweat is often even more rewarding and enjoyable than the cold one on the other side of the finish line.
Great thoughts,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Scott this was truly a pleasure to read. Your opening sentence alone had me taking a moment to think deeply and reflect on my answers. This then lead me into re-evaluating my short term and long term goals. Who knew one question could have the power to alter 2 hrs out of a persons day. I hope I can read the rest of it one day.
Frank recently posted..You’re Happiness is a Priceless Gift
That is awesome that it inspired such action Frank. That is my biggest intention whenever I write. I hope you came out with a bit more clarity on the other side. Anytime you revisit your goals, it’s an exciting day.
Onward!
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..Dressing Your Mind And Body for Success- A New Look for RFYS
Sacrificing today for a better tomorrow does not always prove to be correct. I used to spend too much time in the office so that I can get that promotion. I hardly had the time to see my son. Yes, I was promoted – got bigger pay, nicer office, more benefits. But my son does not listen to me. He calls me “mom”, but he treats me like a visitor in our house. I can now go home anytime I want to, but it’s always a struggle at home. I feel that I’ve neglected my son and it’s all my fault. I’m professionally successful, but I feel like a failure at home. It’s just sad because I thought I was doing the right thing.
Discover True Happiness Within You.
You make a very good point and clearly learned a huge life lesson Kirstine. The great news is that you now get to take that knowledge and use it to prioritize your life accordingly going forward. I wish you the best.
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..8 Life Practices Worth Taking Home from Croatia
Balance is indeed very important. I personally have learned and applied it to my life. I let myself enjoy a few drinks and chips once a week, and then eat lean foods a few days after.
Julius recently posted..How Do Blind People Tell the Time
That is the kind of sustainable balance I’m talking about Julius. Likely if you keep that up, before long you will be eating more and more of the lean foods and less of the other. Either way you are winning because you’re enjoying.
Thanks for the thoughts,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..8 Life Practices Worth Taking Home from Croatia
Hi Scott,
Your article hit the mark about the balance about what we want (future) and what we have and do in the now. I agree that living with purpose it is the key because it makes that the present “hard” choices you do have a short-term benefit. I think it is not convenient to try to reduce our actions as just enjoy the present living it without worrying about the future. Or just making sacrifices today to have a better tomorrow. As you suggest we have to have both, enjoy the present and build the tomorrow. And a life purpose is the only way, without it no matter you are just living the moment or building the future you will not have neither one.
Thanks and congratulations for your article…
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Many thanks Melvin. It’s all about making them one in the same. It all begins with purpose. That too takes an upfront investment to fully understand. But the process can be so much fun. Great to hear we’re on the same side of the coin.
Best,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..8 Life Practices Worth Taking Home from Croatia
i strongly agree with you Scott, i believe there is always a price to pay in order to be happy or to reach ones goals
Right on Farouk. The key is enjoying paying the price. For instance loving the workout as much as you love the way your body feels as a result. There is room for both.
Thanks for the thought,
Scott
Scott Dinsmore recently posted..8 Life Practices Worth Taking Home from Croatia