The ability to delay gratification is absolutely necessary for success. If I know that by learning/training/saving money, my life will be better in the future, even though playing would make it better now (but do nothing for my future), and I can make the better long-term choice, then my future will be better.
If I am weak, and constantly make choices that will be fun/feel good/exciting/intoxicating now, then my future will be filled with limited options and lack larger opportunities. I will have only myself to blame tomorrow.
In a famous study, they took young children and sat them in a room with a marshmallow in front of them. They told the kids that if they don’t eat the marshmallow, that they would get another one when the adult returned to the room. Then they left the child alone at the table, the treat at eye level to them, and had a hidden camera to record their behavior. Some kids didn’t wait long and ate it. Some tried to resist but finally ate it. And some waited patiently and eventually got a second one.
Many years later they studied these kids again and found the ones who delayed gratification were the most successful.
Can you/do you, have you/should you delay gratification, especially in your younger years?
Don’t eat the marshmallow, yet! Great book! I agree that people (especially Millennials like myself) want the instant gratification, promotion, etc. It’s hard to wait and people leave because of their lack of patience. Great post!
Back at you Mr. Janesky, good morning. I’ve been reading your daily nuggests of wisdom for about 4 years and have provided your link to many others. That’s a simple story to illustrate saving and investing, as well as short term and long term results.
Isn’t it amazing how an example of a marshmallow can be used to explain larger decisions that will affect the rest of our lives?
Good Morning Larry. Have a blessed and successful day.
“Adults devise a plan and follow it. Children do what feels good.” — Dave Ramsey
I didn’t delay and in some ways I paid for it, in some ways i used it as a tool to further my career. Being more mature I now delay my gratification and use my impatience to fuel my success
Self-control/restraint is easy when posed with the “carrot or the stick” scenario, but even more important is self-control without the promise of a reward. Self control for the sake of self-control! Don’t eat the marshmallow because you don’t need to eat any dang marshmallows!
So interesting that you would post this today – my son and I were discussing this exact study less than an hour ago. I guess it must be something I needed to hear. Twice!