RESOLVE TO INDULGE. I posted here about hyperopia—â€the habit of overestimating the benefits one will receive in the future from making responsible decisions now.†People underestimate the extent to which they can store up happy memories just as they can store up money. I linked in the post to an article by John Tierney in which he quoted one researcher as saying that people can develop a “wistful feeling of missing out on life’s pleasures.†Now, Tierney has an article which gives another reason for “the strange impulse to put off until tomorrow what could be enjoyed today.” We tend to think —incorrectly—that we will have lots of free time in the future in which we can enjoy things. Tierney suggests strategies we can adopt to reinforce resolutions to enjoy ourselves—such as setting deadlines to indulge ourselves. The strategies remind me of the strategies that are recommended for sticking to a diet.
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I think this is so true. When will we take our pleasures as seriously as our responsibilities? Perhaps, if one were to indulge in something so classic as a New Year’s resolution, this should be IT. Seize the day! We certainly have seen examples of people who know how to sprinkle wonderful experiences throughout each year, each week, maybe even each day of their lives.