There is a famous study from the 60’s and 70’s called the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment that showed that children who were able to delay gratification tended to have better life outcomes than those who couldn’t. The study offered children one treat immediately or two treats if they waited fifteen minutes. According to the study the children who were able to wait went on to accomplish more in their later life.
The ability to delay gratification is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It can help you get the body you want, the bank account you want, and the life you want. All it takes is a little patience and a lot of willpower.
To have what you want to have you have to be willing to do what you don’t want to do.
If you want abs, you can’t have cake. If you want a savings account, you can’t spend more than you make. If you want to accomplish your goals, you can’t sleep in.
Anything worth having is worth having patience.
They say that the value of something is based on what someone is willing to pay for it. You want something quickly? It’s probably not worth very much. You want something of value? You will have to pay the price in patience.
You can grow deep or you can grow quickly, but you can’t do both.
The difference between a ditch and the Grand Canyon is time. Depth comes from time. Maturity comes from doing the same things over and over and over again. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual depth all require time to mature.
God is never late. But He is also never early.
God set up the world so that most of the valuable things in life are found on the other side of something difficult. In fact I think patience and courage are the virtues by which almost all other virtues are gained.
No one gets stronger by taking the path of least resistance.
Denying yourself nothing in life will make you a weak, powerless person who cannot stand any type of delay or difficulty. Making daily decisions against yourself will make you a strong person who can accomplish anything.
The ability to do big things is found wrapped up in the discipline of faithfully doing small things.
Everyone wants to do something big. But you cannot bench press three hundred pounds one time until you have bench pressed one hundred pounds a thousand times.
Consistency is king.
You are what you repeatedly do; excellence then is not an act, but a habit. Delaying gratification only works if you do it consistently enough to reach your goals.
Trading what you want now for what you want forever is rarely a poor trade.
Do you want a donut now or abs forever? Do you want to satisfy your craving at this moment or do you want to achieve your goals? The craving will leave eventually if you deny it long enough. On the other hand the craving will return quickly even if you give in to it. Act accordingly.
Self-discipline is really just another way of saying you know what you want and are willing to do what it takes to get it.
People love the word self but everyone hates the word discipline. But delaying gratification takes self-discipline. And self-discipline simply means valuing long-term goals more than short-term satisfaction.
Fighting temptations make you stronger. Giving in to temptations make them stronger.
Each time you deny yourself immediate gratification you get a little stronger for the next time. Each time you give in to a temptation it gets a little easier to give in the next time. Either you are getting stronger each day or your temptations are. Choose wisely.
One final thought:
