We do a lot of things for short-term gains. I’m here to explain how short-term they are. They’re basically gone before you can enjoy them to any worthwhile degree. Long-term gains, however, last long enough to offer fulfillment. Enough discussion about this will influence you to take the path of larger goals that involve more commitment.
Watching TV.
Watching television is a great introductory example. Before you turn on the TV, you want to see all the goodness that’s there. There might a be a show or two you want to check out. Soon, you start rolling through channels, or sit there stuck on one channel. That small spark of enjoyment or anticipation that you had before you started is basically gone after a very short time, and then you are in a state of little thought and enjoyment.
Two hours later, you’ve watched a load of material that you likely regret spending so much time on, and realize that that time can’t be recaptured. This cycle is able to be repeated at a later time, once you forget the negative results of the process that you reflected upon. Check yourself after ten minutes of watching TV, and see if you’re jazzed up about what you are watching. Chances are slim that the gains are really worth it to you.
Eating large portions of food or unhealthy food.
This is about as short-term of a gain as you can get. You eat a little bit more, or eat some large snack that is not nutritious, and it feels great for about ten seconds, or maybe even a few minutes if you eat it slowly, and then you feel bad for a few hours. This might be because it goes against your plan to get fit, or leaves you less energy to work with, or leaves you more likely to get gain weight.
The food you eat and the way you eat it is very representative of where you stand on the short-term/long-term thinking spectrum. Some folks are great at this, eating small portions at various times during the day, keeping themselves a little hungry at times so they don’t start to get spoiled or unappreciative of what they have, and keeping fit in the process.
Not being supportive of someone else, or putting them down.
You’d have to search hard for the long-term gains here, because other than the quick ego boost, or slight amount of saved time ignoring their call for assistance, you’ll soon feel that you didn’t do your part as a person to give them the help you were able to. This is the kind of thing you’ll want to apologize for, because the longer you have some sort of social dissonance with another person, the longer it’ll be processed in your mind as a past error.
Putting someone down publicly, or even just in your mind, is something you tend to pay for later, sometimes in ways that you can’t even see, like by not being able to collaborate with them because you have labeled them negatively. You can miss valuable collaboration potential when you tell yourself that someone isn’t worth working with.
Keep thinking long-term.
No related posts.
Subscribe Now 
G'day! I'm Gordie, founder and editor-in-chief of Lifestyle Design For You. I want to welcome you to the center of the universe when it comes to lifestyle design and personal development blogs. We're a team of ten writers providing you with articles to help nourish your mind and improve your life. Lifestyle design is about designing your life so you can do what you want when you want. 
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
The problem is that without short term gains, we tend to not bother with even thinking about long term gains.
Most animals will, when presented with an immediate reward, take that gratification, and not give a monkey’s about the future.
Only humans have the ability to plan for long term benefit.
And most of the time, we won’t bother with that….
Stuart´s last blog ..The Griffin’s Flight – KJ Taylor
Hey Stuart.
This is a good point. We do well with some carrots given to us along the way. On the other hand, if we think enough about the uselessness of some of the things we do, they can become unappealing, and then we can replace them with another short-term gain that has long-term value. This might be like replacing watching YouTube videos with watching TED video clips to gain insight and open-mindedness.
You are right that we mostly don’t touch long-term material.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
Is it not possible that a lot of short term gain objectives can lead to a long term goal. Perhaps not the examples you stated, but lets say someones job. It’s all short term but the earnings from that if used properly can lead to a healthy retirement which is a long term goal.
Sorry, I’m not the sort of person that likes to always agree with people. My wife reckons I do it because I’m a mischievous bastard but I just like to make things interesting.
Sire´s last blog ..The Morning Glory Cloud And Anna Creek Station
Hi Sire.
There is certainly long-term value to a plan like that. If it is in the desires of someone to retire at a certain time, then working towards that does make sense as being a long-term event. It would only be a short-term event if it wasn’t their actual interest to retire, and they were just working to avoid making the decision to build up a business of their own, but that doesn’t sound like your example.
It is good to not always agree with people. The folks who are always challenging and bold are the ones who learn the most.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
There’s so many things we take for granted. Life is too short and people talk about that yet do things that aren’t going to give them much long-term benefits.
Watching TV is a big one I can safely say I rarely ever do. Literally. I’m always on the computer or watching movies at the least. I never watch TV.
I never watch the news either.
The thing with helping people is I have no problem doing so unless they’ve done something that has effected me in a negative way. I’m not saying I expect them to return the favor. That isn’t it at all. What I’m saying is if they do something that hurts me, I may not hurt them back but I’m not going to help them either most likely and honestly won’t feel bad about not helping them.
What do you think?
Eric´s last blog ..Lets Help Each Other
Hi Eric.
We sure take a lot for granted. An easy source of motivation is to just understand most of what that is. Gratitude can provide quite a bit of fuel, which is why Gary Vaynerchuk, among many others, says he maintains gratitude.
You have a big advantage by not watching TV. It’s not like you’re missing one of the main sources of insight. Most have a feeling like they are missing something when TV is not seen.
That helping policy you pointed out there makes sense. It is good that you don’t expect others to return the favor. While expecting a return seems logical, it takes the control out of your hands, which is no good for building helpful momentum.
Good habits you have.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
Thanks Armen, I appreciate your thoughts on this.
Yeah not expecting anything in return usually always returns something anyway but if you just expect to give without getting, you feel better (if you do get anything) even before getting it.
Awesome man!
Eric´s last blog ..Lets Help Each Other
These 3 are all drugs we use to distract us from the important things in life. It’s easy to get distracted from what’s important in this day and age but if we don’t pare life back to the basics we get unhappy. TV, fast food and being spiteful don’t make us happy, spending time outdoors, eating fresh food and doing a good deed for someone else every day does.
I completely agree Annabel!
So much in life can be considered in this way. Focus on the things that make us happy rather than the things that waste our time.
Ben Lumley´s last blog ..How to be a better dad
Hi Annabel and Ben.
They sure are drugs. Drugs have a negative connotation specifically because they are short-term entities. We as people basically call anything that is only beneficial in the short-term, and not so beneficial in the long-term, a “bad” thing.
Doing a good deed for someone else is something that sounds easy, but it takes an effort each day, so that keeps a large percentage of people from doing it, providing a nice opportunity to a select few.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
It’s better to have a big picture, long term goals over shorter ones. However if we can somehow breakdown our ultimate goal into smaller/quarter ones and have them monitored accordingly, overcome the challenges step by step, that doesn’t sound so bad too, right?
Yes, think far ahead and avoid hasty judgments. Thanks for sharing the message.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Ching Ya´s last blog ..6 Points To Ponder Before Using Automatic Status Updates
Hi Ching.
It sure doesn’t sound bad to break down long-term ones into smaller packages.
On a separate note, it is easy to think of some companies that are solely-based on customers with short-term gains in mind. Lowest common denominator companies such as those would hope for all to stay in a small mindset.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
Great post with a massively important message.
You have hit the nail on the head here, junk food is a great thing to think about. You eat a McDonalds becuase it’s quick and cheap and it actually tastes ok, then you get the sugar rush which picks you up… for all of ten minutes then you crash and crash in a big way.
Great post
TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..When You Have To Say ‘NO’ To a Friend
Hi James.
Thanks about the post.
Valid point there. It is good to look straight at the upcoming crash from low-quality food, or irrelevant magazines, or taking the easy route, or so on, and then we can easily see the right path. Our eyes have to be on the regret or disappointment we will feel.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
I have found that helping others is a great thing to do. I live with the idea that when somebody asks me for help, the already have a yes. Then I work on finding some time. If I can help him/her immediately, I do it.
Helping others is great because you learn a lot by doing it. On the top of that, despite you don’t expect anything, you get good things in return from the people you help.
Isaac – Life is simpler´s last blog ..Download this resource to manage your personal finance
Hi Isaac.
That is an interesting way to do things. Saying yes, and then finding a way, would be a great way as long as it is maintained, which is what you are doing. That will quickly get loads of people on your team, because few people say “yes” often.
Method worth trying there.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
I think you really touch on an important point here. Short term gains are really about instant gratification. But like you have mentioned in the long run, you often regret short term gains. Unhealthy food is a great example. In the short term it’s doesn’t seem so bad, but when you look at it over an extended period of time, the damage adds up.
Hi Srinivas.
Thanks there. They sure are. As Alex Shalman has pointed out in a quote a few times(I think), the pain of regret is far worse than the pain of self-discipline. I’m seeing things this way now.
The damage sure does add up if left untouched and un-thought of.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..How To Achieve More And Do Less
I agree that short term goals and gains can really backfire or be un-fruitful, if not followed up by a long term goal.
But sometimes short term goal and gain is all you got. Your example of unhealthy food is well taken. Yes it will harm you in the end. But a starving person who hasn’t eaten for a while, aint going to worry about the kilojoules on salt content or unhealthy substances. All he is warried about is getting fed at that moment. Once that foal has been fulfilled properly, then he can worry about healthy foods.
Robert Bravery´s last blog ..Do unto others
Hi Robert.
This is true about a starving person not being very picky. There are situations where it is okay to step down a notch in standards, but most folks are just fine in their current state, and have no need to step down. We have to stay above the level we are currently at, as far as satiation, and pick those items that fulfill us and our future selves.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Hello Arman – I enjoyed this read and it had me thinking as I just returned from stuffing my face with popcorn for no reason at all at the cinema!
I think much of the problem is that we are often unable to look beyond the short-term. In today’s age, we want ‘instant’ results for everything. Instant escape by watching television, instant satisfaction from eating junk food…who has time to find a new hobby and then dedicate time to it when you can just turn on the television and be instantly occupied for 30 minutes?
Even helping others seems to be a chore to many because it doesn’t necessarily provide instant benefits to the person offering the help. It’s quite a challenge these days to convince people that focusing on the long-term is infinitely more beneficial than only seeking short-term, superficial gains.
Earl´s last blog ..Your Life Should Be The Greatest Success Story Ever Told
Hi Earl.
Nice job stuffing your face with popcorn~ I’m joking there. Maybe you can sneak in a fruit next time.
You are right about the instant results problem. Now, it is good for those very few folks who are able to put in hard work to keep getting instant results going, but most of us are weakened by wanting instant results because we don’t put all that effort out and continue the momentum. Then, we end up turning to something else to get instant satisfaction to replace the lack of instant results.
On the one hand, it’s no good that helping others is not one of those instant-return methods, but at the same time, it actually is for those who understand social dynamics, and get that good feeling.
Cool stuff.
Fortunately (I think), I’ve quite lost my appetite and can no longer eat large meals unless I’ve been seriously working out.
So my weight is creeping up, but very slowly.
Dave Doolin´s last blog ..How Moderating Comments On Your Blog Destroys Conversation
Hi Dave.
Well that is a positive about no longer eating large meals. For a second there, I didn’t understand your ending there, but now I see that you meant that your weight is going up as muscle.
Dave is getting tough people, so we have to watch out.
Large meals usually aren’t worth the costs of having eaten too much at the time.
Hey Armen,
If a short-term gain is in relation to a long-term goal, then it’s probably a good thing, because it’s helping us see progress. However, I think I’m just arguing semantics, and I understand you’re trying to keep the long-term in site when making short-term choices.
This is an interesting post. In some ways I wonder if perhaps what we’re talking about here is short-term pleasure. If I ate a whole pizza, the only gain will be on my waist line.
Thanks, Armen!
Hey Gordie.
Thanks about the post. It sure might be about short-term pleasure. Those things that we do which are just about satisfying the now are worth making unappealing. If we can attach future regret to things we usually do that have no long-term value, they will look like garbage when we are about to do them.
You made a good summary of the points there.
Glad to be here.
Short-term gains, really turn out to be little gains, if any at all. As you’ve pointed out, we feel good about the circumstance only to realize just a bit later that it was really not in our best interests or the wisest use of time.
Yet we return to this activity time and again.
After years of bad habits, these things can be difficult to get away from and it really requires a change in our attitudes. Looking long-term or at a broader picture is what serves as motivation to put these things in perspective.
Powerful points made here, Armen. Particularly that TV.
Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Case Study Review – Lanzarote Information
Hi Jimi.
We sure do return to those activities time and time again, until the day where it hits us that we are limiting ourselves. We might as well make that day come sooner than later.
Also, we have to realize that many folks have postponed that time. Often, someone will let TV be their way to escape their issues until one day when they announce that they are ready to defeat that habit.
Thanks about the points.
Long term goals are most important. Where you want to be 10 years from now is very important. As long as you keep thinking big, you’ll be fine. Great post.
Jonathan Figaro´s last blog ..Your Dying If your Not Using Your Imagination
Hi Jonathan.
This is true that they are where our focus should be if we plan to be here for more than a week, which I think most of us do. 10 years is also a time to slightly keep in mind.
Thinking big takes constant effort, until it becomes part of our regular mindset, and then we are big thinkers. It is nice to expand the mind, because it can’t be un-expanded. Thanks about the post also.