Let’s face it, Work, Delayed Gratification, and Sacrifice (WDGS) make the future we want possible. It’s how we achieve goals. WDGS are actions that lead to meaningful outcomes. However, volume, frequency, and quality matter.
We know from experience that if your work is poor, your delayed gratification is rare, and your sacrifices are small, then your chance of success and the value experienced in the future will be low. Assuming we want to experience a better tomorrow, and a greater sense of meaning in life, then more and better WDGS is in order! The magnitude and quality of our WDGS drives the probability and degree of success we experience. That’s the way it is as far as I can tell.
Through The 365 Commitment we can produce exactly what is needed – more and better WDGS. I get way more done when I list and prioritize what needs to get done – feels great to check things off and do first things first. Also, consistency over time produces more work done, habit formation increases available resources (time and cognitive bandwidth) to apply toward our goals. Following The 365 Commitment guidelines naturally increases the volume of work done!
Thinking through what is most important each day controls the quality and dictates the nature of our WDGS. We stay on target better, and we adjust and make corrections as a matter of course, through daily attention and commitment. The 365 Commitment naturally increases the quality of our WDGS. Think about your tasks in terms of Work, Delayed Gratification, and Sacrifice.
Prioritizing your list and tackling what is most important and difficult first reflects the ethic of Delayed Gratification. Embrace this ethic, build it like a muscle, make delaying gratification a habit. Eat our vegetables first, hold your tongue, and work before play are common cliches that demonstrate the DG ethic. I will often require myself to complete a particular task or commitment before giving myself a reward – 50 pull-ups, or 100 pushups, or 200 air-squats, and then I can eat fish and chips! Adopt Delayed gratification as your own ethic because doing so will amplify joy when it comes and help you to prioritize and and do first things first.
Focus on the quality of sacrifice. This is related to doing what it takes to keep your commitment. What am I willing to give up, or let go of, or suffer through in order to reach my goal? The quality of the sacrifice seems tied to the degree of benefit experienced in the future. Something to consider.
The 365 Commitment is a WDGS engine that will help you do more of what actually works in creating a future that is good. So use it to pump of your work volume, increase the frequency of delayed gratification, and improve the quality of your sacrifice. Do more of what works.
Ben Wagner (154)
Member The 365 Commitment
