There’s no denying we’re living in a world of instant gratification. We can get much pretty whatever we want, whenever we want it. It might be food or other items to delivered to our doorstep in a matter of minutes or hours. Or perhaps it’s just whatever information we desire, available with just a few keyboard strokes on our computer at any time of the day.
No matter what it is, getting what we want quickly gives us an addictive dopamine rush. And a consequence of this is we get pissed when other things in life don’t move as quickly.
Delayed and instant gratification
In my mind, instant gratification has always meant ‘easy come, easy go’. Now, this is not necessarily true as there are many things in life that can come easily and still be fruitful. However, there are lots of situations that absolutely take longer to come to fruition, and as a result, gratification is delayed.
The merits of delaying gratification
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like waiting for what I want, just as much as the next person! I would love it to materialize immediately. But I know that if I am not ready to receive the reward, I won’t be able to hold on to it.
You can’t rush wisdom. Wisdom comes with time and life experience. If you receive instant gratification for everything you do, you’ll never be truly ready to receive the fruits of your labor. An example are lottery winners - within a year, the majority are broke. Why? It’s likely because they never had the time to develop the wisdom needed to nurture and grow their winnings.
Our experiences prepare us for the next steps in life. Just like a child starts at kindergarten and learns enough to progress to 1st grade and then 2nd, we also start at the first step. Jumping from step 1 to step 25 because we want instant gratification doesn’t prepare us for what will hit us at step 25. We’ll just get sent back to step one over and over again …
Take your time
It’s so true that ‘patience is a virtue’ as it helps us be in the moment, guiding us to the logical next step with confidence and preparedness. You won’t ever get the chance to experience and learn this if you’re constantly anxious and in a rush.
Remember: the universe is an amazing teacher. It knows exactly what to bring to us and when. Everything in divine timing, friends.