“Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.” — Richard G. Scott
Last weekend, while I was visiting family in Ohio, we had a cookout to celebrate my sister's and my great nephew's (crazy) birthdays.
There were 6 kids (all under the age of 10) in attendance and when it came time for cake and ice cream,
There was no screaming or crying,
No pushing to the front of the line,
And no complaining about who got the first or the biggest piece.
I have to admit that was surprised by their collective ability to wait, rather patiently, for their turn.
Now, it could just be that I got them all on a good day, but still...it was impressive.
Being told to wait is part of being a kid, but it doesn't mean that the message is always so well received.
“You can go play after you do your homework.” “No dessert until you finish your dinner.” “Santa will be back...next year.”
As a kid, it seems like we heard "you have to wait" before everything that we wanted to do or have.
And part of becoming a well functioning adult is grasping the concept of delayed gratification.
That was the impetus behind a famous psychological study known as The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment.
Researchers tested young kids to see if they would prefer to have one marshmallow immediately or to wait 15 minutes in order to receive two marshmallows.
Years later, they checked back in with the kids and found those who’d been able to wait had greater signs of success in life, like better SAT scores and better jobs.
Resisting the temptations of instant gratification might not seem easy, but the the ability to put off our immediate desires in order to pursue long-term goals is a critical part of success.
Day after day, week after week, it can get frustrating when we don’t see results happen as quickly as we want to see them.
When we don't immediately see change happening, it’s easy to grab the bag of cookies, binge on netflix or open up that bottle of wine in order to FEEL BETTER NOW — even if we know we’re just making things more difficult for ourselves in the future.
But if you want results AND you want to get off the weight loss roller coaster for good, then you'll need to learn how to wait.
The next time you find yourself pouting because things aren't happening "fast enough", try to:
Focus on the process (like mastering a push up) rather than the outcome (like a certain number on the scale).
Resist comparing yourself to others (and making assumptions about their journeys).
Realize that time is going to pass no matter what...so you might as well spend it building the habits that will eventually lead to the results you desire (rather than pouting about the results you don't have yet).
Find joy and excitement in the anticipation of a positive outcome (foreplay anyone?...😜🙊).
Being an adult has its perks...like having the freedom of choice to do (mostly) whatever we want whenever we want to do it.
But with that freedom comes the necessity to remind ourselves that our choices do have consequences — when we say "YES" to one thing, we are saying "NO" to something else at the same time.
And when you give in to instant gratification, you’re giving up the thing you really want — a healthy, fit body and the longest life possible.
Guess our parents were right about that whole “you have to wait” thing. 🤷🏼♀️
Comments