Building for the Long-Term and Delayed Gratification
What if you slowed down, did less, and as a result, went further?
Recently, I was sick and my normal workaholic mode wasn’t possible. I took a bath and laid in bed. Surprisingly, that was a day when I was so inspired. I took pages of notes for things I’d like to do next.
It was through this break that I jumped back to work the next day feeling incredible.
The same thing is true on the weekends. I often want to work, but tell myself that I’m better off pursuing a break.
Slowing down and pausing allows us to build for the long-term
My goal is to have a decades-long and fulfilling career. I’m not looking to clock-in-and-clock-out for a paycheck (although there is nothing wrong with that).
Knowing this about myself helps me remember that slowing down is my ally.
We often say “it’s a marathon, not a sprint" but very few of us live by it. We call our weeks “sprints” and we quite literally dash around all week trying to get everything done.
If you’re like me, maybe you’ve experienced moments where it’s hard to rest even if you try. It’s like trying to slow down a speed train.
Slowing down is a practice of the following beliefs:
It’s ok if I reach that goal in a few months instead of right now.
I’d like to savor this current moment and celebrate how far I’ve come.
I want to feel relaxed while I work toward reaching my goals.
I know my achievements are coming and I’m so excited.
I deserve this moment of rest.
Delayed gratification requires that you believe in yourself and the outcome
If you’re willing to give up something today in favor of a better tomorrow, you’re likely a pretty confident person! Because you know deep down that the thing you want is coming.
Slowing down helps you build soft skills
Oftentimes, when we slow down, we pick up important skills that we otherwise would have sped right past:
Strategy/analysis
Seeing the big picture
Experimentation
Patience
Contentedness
Kindness
Peace
Celebration
Connection
“It's better to go slowly in the right direction than go speeding off in the wrong direction.” —Simon Sinek
Delayed gratification might feel weird if you’re playing the comparison game
Your progress will look different than everyone else. And sometimes growth isn’t visible.
There’s an intricate tie between confidence and speed
Imagine two people walk into a room.
One of them is in a hurry and bounces around the room with nervous energy. They don’t stop to say hello to anyone. They have somewhere they need to be. They need to get tasks done. And they need to reach their destination.
The second person walks in slowly. They stop to say hello to everyone. They know they have a few tasks to do, but they also have time to sit on the couch and enjoy a snack. They’re excited about the things to come and float around the room as if on cloud nine. Life just feels good and there are so many incredible goals they get to achieve.
Who would you rather be around?
Who do you think will enjoy the process and their success more?
Who do you think will reach their goals faster?
Who do you think is more confident?
I think it’s very possible the speedy person will reach their goals faster. But this exercise reminds me that speed is not the most important metric.
❌ Achieving goals faster
✅ Paying attention to the people you care about
✅ Enjoying the process
✅ Enjoying success and celebrating milestones
✅ Feeling confident and at ease
The role of celebration
Delayed gratification and enjoying the process are both a lot easier with celebration.
I used to think, “Why celebrate now when I can celebrate after I achieve the next thing?”
But then I achieved the next thing and the goal kept moving further away. I likely didn’t feel that any of my achievements were truly worthy of celebration. Now, I celebrate the tiniest of tiny things.
The journey is more fun when we celebrate, share it with people, and know deep down that everything else we want is coming.
