The benefits of patience

An experiment conducted on 40 children between the ages of 4 and 6 years old in a classroom goes like this. The children were put in a classroom with a marshmallow on each of their desks. They were told to not eat the marshmallows within half an hour and they would be rewarded with one more marshmallow. With hidden cameras placed within the room the scientists were able to observe the children in another room. As a few minutes passed, the children became impatient and agitated. By the end of the half hour mark, only four kids have not eaten the marshmallows placed in front of them. Those who were patient received their awards.

Twenty years later, the scientists kept tabs on all the children that participated in the experiment. They found that the four kids who did not eat the marshmallows ended up successful, settled with families and had good income where as the rest were still caught up in life’s hustles. The scientists therefore, concluded that the key to success is to postpone happiness.

Most of us get motivated to change our lives, lose weight, learn a new language, and develop a good habit and so on. We put all of our effort and energy in to achieving these goals. However, we lose our motivation after a month or so after we witness little to zero changes. The problem is that we start big and expect quick results. We invest all that we have out of impulsivity and lose our motivation when we do not perceive results. Instead, we should start small and try to make a habit of small routines that drive us to bigger routines which in turn drive us to success.