We've all been there: it's time for bed but we watch "just one more episode" on Netflix, or indulge in a late snack because we "deserve it. Don't get me wrong, these types of activities are fine in moderation, but too many people spend way too much time thinking they "need" and "deserve" to indulge themselves when they could be doing something more interesting that benefits them long-term.
What if you trained yourself to get pleasure out of doing more productive, purpose-driven activities? In this article, I'll show you how to move beyond your perceived need for indulgence and retrain your brain to seek purposeful activities that help you to grow as a person. Before cell phones and television, before all of our modern day temptations, people read books, wrote in their journals, and spent more time talking to each other.
People were only able to indulge in a short list of activities, most of which were growth-oriented. This was normal, and people accepted this because there were no other options.
Today, the average person watches hours of commercials each year, which adds up to a whopping total of four years during an average lifetime. And that's just commercials.
Total lifetime television watching is about nine years! Now, what do all those commercials tell you? That's right, that you're not enough, that you need "relief," and that you should play the "short game" and seek instant gratification.
