Instant Gratification

In today’s world, when we want something we often want it now. We expect instant results and get frustrated when feedback or success is slow. In reality, most good things take time. We must practice patience as we grow and develop, convincing ourselves that in time the right things will fall into place with enough hard work.

The metaphor I’ve often heard is the oven over the microwave. We live in a microwave society where people expect things instantly (average human attention span is 8 seconds!). Likes on a post, success at a new skill, we want it quick and easy. But growth works more like an oven…invest the time and energy consistently, understanding it could take awhile to be great.

Be wise and play the long game—which means delaying the gratification that you are so programmed to want. Try not to get caught up in instant gratification but work and believe that persistence will pay off. And make sure you are working on and towards the right things. Getting better at anything (a new job, shooting a jump shot, parenting, any skill) doesn’t happen in a microwave, it happens over time as you get reps and work at it, even when you don’t always see the results you want along the way. The ability to delay gratification will serve you well.
​#getbetter