In a famed test known as the marshmallow experiment, children are tested on their ability to delay gratification. Delaying gratification means that you choose not to take advantage of something that is somewhat good now in favor of something even better down the line. In the case of the marshmallow experiment, children are presented with one marshmallow right away, but they are told they will get a second marshmallow if they are able to wait. Needless to say, many children opt for the benefit of one marshmallow now rather than holding off to get the second marshmallow. While this seems like an easy choice to make, many of us constantly show an inability to delay gratification when it comes to physical and mental training.
When it all boils down to it, there are really two foundational forms of motivation. They are the motivation to avoid pain and the motivation to seek pleasure. However, these forms of motivation can often prevent us from doing what we know will produce the greatest possible outcome in the future. Take running for instance. It is so easy to follow the urge to avoid pain and stay in from the run. Avoiding the run feels good in the short term, but it does not pay off well long term. The next tennis match when your lungs are dying before the end of the first set, you will resent not ignoring the motivation to avoid pain and wish you opted for the avoidance of a worse pain when it comes to playing in a match or tournament.
Ultimately, when it comes to physical and mental training, you have to view the avoidance of pain as somewhat of a contract. Is what you are doing now going to pay off in the long run? Your ability to delay gratification is vital in training. So, when you decide to do something view that decision as a contract. What is the pain you are avoiding or the pleasure that you are seeking right now? Is it something that is going to pay dividends in the future? Is choosing to sleep an extra hour more valuable than working on your serves? When you start viewing your actions as a contract, you will allow yourself to delay gratification and increase your likelihood of future success. In the words of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, “Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”