It’s not okay to “treat yo self” all the time.
Just because the current culture of America today says excessive frivolity and materialism are okay, that doesn’t make it true. Our society practically worships celebrities who contribute nothing to the world. The Kardashians and other reality television stars are revered by millions because they do what, exactly?
Instant gratification is something the world promotes, but we need to resist it. Just sitting back and popping in a movie may sound incredible right now, but you’ll be glad later that you chose to do the dishes first or study for tomorrow’s test. Trust me, I can be very guilty of this. I’m a chronic procrastinator and hate sitting down to start a boring, monotonous task.
Of course, it’s okay to reward yourself, but only after you’re accomplished something that actually warrants a reward. You’ve studied two hours for the SAT every night this week. That’s awesome! Go out with your friends on Saturday. You finished your AP Statistics project a day before it’s due. Go you! Catch up on your favorite Netflix series. But if you give yourself a treat whenever you feel like it, you’ll have nothing to look forward to.
If you embraced all the values society promotes today, you’d have no money, no morals, and no future. Most companies’ advertising campaigns channel your lack of self-control and childish whims. They say, “You need this product.” “Everyone else has this product.” “You’ll be satisfied if you will just buy it.” Not directly, of course. That would be a terrible campaign. But the underlying messages are there.
I know most people work hard for the money they make and try to spend it wisely most days of the year, but not even the most hard-working people are immune to societal traps. Once you give in to a few financial splurges, it’s a slippery slope. And once you fall in, it’s hard to climb out. Self-control and patience are life-long lessons that will never be complete.
Self-control is a good skill to master now, at whatever stage of life you’re in. Don’t wait till you have that job or the beginning of the year, or even the beginning of the week, to start saving up or controlling your excessive behavior. Start small. Save one dollar a day. Cut out your morning coffee at Starbucks; make it at home instead. The sooner you get it under control, the sooner you can start reaping the real rewards from it. Start now. You’ll thank yourself for it later.
Plus, if you splurge on a treat for yourself—clothes, sweets, an expensive event, or whatever that may be—whenever you want, it ceases to be a treat. It becomes just a regular Tuesday evening, Friday morning, etc. If you get a reward every day or week, then it’s not really special anymore. It’s called a treat because you get it every once in a while. It’s a luxury, something out of the ordinary. Save your treats for something you really want to celebrate.
Treating yourself in spur-of-the-moment times is in the same ballpark as giving all the players trophies just for showing up and participating. They’re really no longer trophies, they’re just some trinket everyone has on their shelf. There’s no sense of triumph or accomplishment behind it. You don’t look on it, reminisce, and remember your sense of hard-earned pride; you look on all of them and try to remember where you even got them.
I’m not saying there are no good celebrities or companies out there, but you need to really pay attention to those that you follow, idealize and reinforce. Respect yourself, and save the treats for a special occasion.
