"I just now see minimizing pain and getting more rewards differently- more on a long term scale... based on life experiences." @AT and Cherea: what's the difference between you and everyone else?
i know it wasn't me you were asking, but here's what i would consider an answer: each of us are the only self we are. every other difference is secondary and fallows from that.
Everyone delays gratification for the future. For example, some go into investment banking to retire by age 30 and presumably live a life of pleasure. So what makes someone a hedonist?
I don't really buy this pop version of hedonism as Keith Richards on coke and mescaline at the same time. I've read Epicurus, and there it's quite a different thing.