a note on pleasure

This quote keeps me grounded every time I start feeling entitled for a win or pleasure.

I truly believe people walk into starting a business with a head full of dreams and a 'three-month success' plan. But dreams clash with reality when setbacks hit, ushering us into what I call 'the suck stage' - a limbo where we half-heartedly wait for a win or, at the very least, a fleeting moment of joy.

But pleasure has a cost — not the cliched ‘cheap dopamine’ and ‘success lies on the other side of pain’. Pleasure has a cost deeper than just ‘time’.

There’s two types of pleasure:

• Now: Like sleeping an extra 10 minute just to feel more exhausted.

• Delayed: Like spending 2 months to solve one problem.

I’m not here to preach one type of pleasure is superior. I’m here to ask what price are you willing to pay for either pleasure? They both have downsides and I’ve indulged in both.

Now: Started with waking up one hour late and turned into 3 hours and morning stomach pains from pints of ice cream my semi-lactose intolerant body shouldn’t be eating and wondering why I’m always exhausted.

My health and wellness was on a decline and my acne came back with vengeance looking like I was in high school again. cringe.

We both heard ‘monk mode’ and ‘tech free’ movements but what does it fix? It gives you enough separation to feel powerful before you’re back to old habits I call ‘delayed shit behavior’.

Delayed pleasure hurts more on the front end. In starting anything new there’s eventually obstacles. Except the price comes in self-doubt, insecurities, and countless fails.

Now when the pain will turn into pleasure? No clue, but we are hedging our bets for the eventual pleasure.

I doubt any of this information is new but I have a question:

But when did the suck/struggle have to mean ‘hell’?

I think somewhere we get lost in looking for wins to convince ourselves of ability that in the suck it creates doubts that are hard to ignore.

Maybe you’re in the suck — which pleasure will you choose?