Last night I was speaking with someone in chat about building a position and today in a client session, the conversation seamlessly continued with another person. Of course, in my work it is something that I have to think about a lot as part of my responsibilities with clients is to improve for a better, more stable future. This includes career planning.
Lately, there has been significant changes to their structure with a couple key positions vacated and filled at the same time, my client being one of the fills. He was my client before also and it was always my intention to 'prepare' him for where he is now as he is a young guy with a good head on his shoulders but more importantly, willing to get his feet wet.
What I mean is that not only is he good at his job, he is willing to risk his time and energy working on other tasks that lead him to the next stepping stone. He doesn't wait until he has it all, he works towards it constantly.
He does this by spending more time on the uncomfortable, difficult areas than on the tasks that he really enjoys as he realises that the things that he likes, he is already good at, which makes the things he doesn't, a risk. He and I have worked at identifying and improving upon these things for a while already and it is a big part of why he got the position.
He has shown that not only is he capable of doing his job very well, he has splashed into the waters and closed the gap to the next position by building the necessary facets, even though there was no guarantee. Essentially, he has invested into own future by suffering a little.
We talked at length today about suffering and he brought up one of my pet topics, instant gratification. To me, this is about what you are willing to suffer and what you are likely to suffer in the future. How I see it is that those who are open to foregoing comfort and pleasure now (suffering) are much more likely to enjoy a better future position. Whereas, those who continually gratify themselves now, are likely to suffer more later.
The trade of to the better future is of course the uncertainty of that future which is why so many choose not to take the risks, and enjoy now. This covers many things but if one imagines only eating what tastes good in the moment, we could see that it could lead to a variety of future health problems. People would enjoy each moment until, that moment was burdened by weight and health problems, and all the psychological impacts that come bundled.
It is the same for financial situations too of course, where spending in the moment without preparation for the future will lead to increasing pressures on income, and if something were to happen unexpectedly, there is nothing in reserve.
The discomfort of delaying gratification and pleasure comes tied with the risk of loss of investment or pleasure foregone but, the payoff is future stability and when that future comes around to the present, it provides peace of mind and additional possibilities beyond that of the unprepared.
I know two other people who went for the same position and the reason they were not serious contenders was not because of the things they were good at as both do great jobs, it was because of what they weren't. They hadn't demonstrated that they were willing and able to learn necessary tasks that made them uncomfortable. They couldn't forgo immediate comfort for future opportunity.
The discussion with the guy in chat (who will remain nameless here) was about this building of position, getting out of the comfort zones and what is known to explore and develop future possibility. I am doing the same and this goes beyond just having stake, it is trying to understand and be a part of conversations I am uncomfortable having.
It is about risking myself, going out on a limb, being willing to fall into the water, even if it rubs some people the wrong way. It is risky but my approach is to move as earnestly as possible and hope that those I may splash when I jump into the waters are open enough to help me up onto the next rock. This is one thing I really like about the community here that despite its many issues, there are still some people who will go out of their way to help others who they think are doing their best to do their best.
Because of his new position, the conversation with my client was not about his skill gaps and improving to get to his next stepping stone. He asked me, How can I help others to do the same?
With that question, he is already on his way to his next too.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
Motivating article, and a topic I very much relate to and always keep in mind. Instant gratification isn't as important as longterm happiness. Of course we sometimes can enjoy the pleasure of short-term things like drinking on a friday-night or spending an afternoon watching TV, but we can't make those things structural habits in our lives. It's an important exercise to find a healthy balance between these two things.
Wanted to reply shortly on this last paragraph too. It's a beautiful characteristic to possess, and I feel these are words you don't only write but also translate into action. I think you're the author who gives back the most to his viewers and people who actively participate in the comment section. You take your time to read, reply and upvote the comments on your articles, and by doing so helping your audience move forward on Steemit. So thank you for that too :)
I agree with you on balance. There should be balance in everything we do.
I am walking the dog and on my phone so will keep it short.
Although it isn't always possible, I try to comment as much as I can and reward at least something. People take their time to read and be a part of the conversation and therefore deserve at least something for their efforts. Authors should recognise and be grateful for their audience, too many highly rewarded ignore them instead or only comment on high rep comments.
Thanks.
It is -9 fingers frozen.
Haha I hope you're enjoying a warm cup of coffee to warm you up at the moment! You're totally right. A lot of steemians in your position (namely: have already made name for themselves and have a high amount of rep/SP) seem to forget what brought them there or just lose interest in interacting with their audience. It's refreshing to see that not everyone falls into that trap. Keep doing what you do!
Thank you for that. I wanna be like you when I become a whale. Lol
The best part is when those really uncomfortable areas start being more comfortable than the areas that you first loved to work on :).
This came up with the client today too. I think it is often that we find enjoyment in what e previously disliked. Otherwise, who would really ever drink beer?
Perhaps short-term gratification acts as a fuel for the long-term goals?
Depends if all resources go to the short-term I guess. There is no problem with enjoying the moment, I recommend it but we seem to put conditions on what that moment should contain for us to be happy. Often, that includes spending all instead of investing a little.
I guess the internet and social media has made us want things fast.
Everything must be fast.
We want shots of dopamine but forget that long-term work for long-term goals hence for long-term happiness is actually more important.
In the area of finance, about people willing to experience discomfort now in the bid to make the future colourful, what if someone does it in excess? I know a guy who looks and acts like he ain't gat a dime, in the hope that he's making the future better, but it never ends, because in the real Sense of it, tomorrow never ends.
Truth there. There is always something better to do . I think we just have to stick to our guts and be original
Your article describes perfectly why I always emphasize the cultivation of our Intuition instead of the cultivation of our Ego logic, the former of which sees what lies without the eye, while the latter only sees what lies within the eye. Following that which lies within the eye means that we calculate potential outcome by applying apparent logic. So we only use conscious calculation.
Following that which lies without the eye means that we calculate potential outcome by applying our Intuition, which resorts to subconscious calculation. It is here that long-term positive results are conceived, for nothing unexpected can surprise us any longer.
Thanks for your dedicated article! :)
This is a great,
I upvoted you as a witness :) good luck!
Challenging yourself, getting out of your comfort zone, learning and developing are long-time investments. The more you invest the more you get in the future. A little bit of suffering (I wouldn't call it suffering though) is not a bad thing. However, there should be also enjoyment and fun while investing. We should enjoy the ride called life.