Delayed Gratification

“The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable pre-requisite for success. ” Brian Tracy, a self-help author who also makes presentations on leadership skills, sales topics, managerial effectiveness, and business strategy, is correct on the topic of delayed gratification. According to Google Dictionary, delayed or deferred gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. This is what everyone should do so they can obtain what they want in the future, by working their hardest now.

In the year 2010, young adults are having trouble grasping the idea of delayed gratification and if they don’t know what delayed gratification is they get into problems that many people don’t want to be in. People in high school must learn that delayed gratification will help them in the long run because if they do well in high school they will get into a good college and then get a good job, but it can also go the other way too. If they do badly in high school they won’t get into college, they will work a job that doesn’t pay much and they will be unhappy because nobody respects them because they didn’t go to college.

This concept also ties in with materialism because many students want the latest and greatest in technology and other gadgets and when they start to drool over the amazing things they can get, they start to take their mind off of school and onto getting a job. If they get this job and forget about school, they won’t be able to do well in the future and then they won’t be able to live by themselves, because they won’t have enough money to pay the bills, because the job they got to get the gadget they wanted, was an instant gratification job or a job that will pay small money very quickly.

According to two professors of the University of Washington, in 1998, of 1000 high school students only 457 of them stayed on track through all four years of high school and were on time for graduation. This means that over 50% of students don’t do well in high school and mess up going into college, which also messes up their future. Four hundred thirty four of the 1000 dropped out, or transferred to a different school and 109 graduated later. These statistics maybe outdated but are still good to know about them so we can learn from our mistakes. These statistics are very bad for students and there is a way for them to ecome better and exceed in the future by also working hard now. Delayed gratification is a smart way to go if you want live a successful life in the future. Walter Mischel at Stanford University, conducted an experiment called, The Marshmallow Experiment. This experiment was done in the 1960s and tested what kids would do if marshmallows were sitting on a table. The idea was to see if the children that could wait would demonstrate they had the ability to delay gratification and control impulse, both significant and important traits for attaining wealth and being financially successful.

The experiment was a group of four-year-olds were given one marshmallow and promised a second one on the condition that they wait twenty minutes before eating the first one. Some children were able to wait and others could not. The researchers then followed the progress of each child into adolescence and demonstrated that those with the ability to wait were better adjusted and more dependable, and scored significantly higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test years later. This shows that waiting is best and if you learn the ways of delayed gratification you can succeed in life.

Delayed gratification is crucial to have a grand life in the future. If a person has learned delayed gratification and is able to apply it to their life, they will exceed in high school, exceed in college, get a superior job, and retire in good health. This is why people should go by delayed gratification because not only will you be intelligent and will be able to speak about current topics easily, you will be respected by people you meet and have an easy life in the future.