Enjoyment vs Future Enjoyment (Part 1)

All activities boil down to two purposes:

Enjoyment or Future Enjoyment

In the first case, I’m engaged in an activity in this moment because I’m experiencing enjoyment from it in this moment. This feels self-explanatory. I’m doing this thing now because I enjoy doing this thing.

In the second case, I’m engaged in an activity in this moment because, as a result of doing this activity now, I expect to receive some amount of enjoyment in the future. I’m investing energy or attention or time today with an expected return of future enjoyment.

This deferred enjoyment approach requires me to be honest about whether my investment today will be “worth” the enjoyment return in the future.

Presumably, I would only engage in this approach (foregoing current enjoyment in favor of deferred enjoyment), if the expected future enjoyment were greater than the cost of the investment I’m making today. Otherwise, why would I do it?

Two important notes about the imperfections inherent in the deferred enjoyment approach:

• I will never be certain about what the realized return on my investment will be, since it’s always an expectedreturn, not a guarantee.

  • Inaccurate Forecasting of Future Outcomes: I pour my heart & soul into a relationship, then my spouse leaves me

  • Unexpected Environment Change: I drive 5 hours to go surfing in Mexico, then there's no waves upon arrival

  • Unexpected Personal Evolution: I grind my whole life to be able to afford an exclusive country club membership. Then, once I finally get accepted, I realize that I lost my love for golf (guess I'll just go hangout in the clubhouse?)

• In order to realize my investment, I must eventually cash it in. Otherwise, I’m forever building the line item of “Deferred Enjoyment” on my personal balance sheet. It serves no purpose if I die with a stockpiled reserve of Deferred Enjoyment. Upon death, the balance is wiped to zero. And nobody else can realize this enjoyment on my behalf.