Short Term vs. Long Term
I think it must be the cold weather. Or it could be that my oven isn't working, and I can only dream of cookies, cakes, or some wildly exciting chocolate dessert. Truffles. Truffles are wildly exciting treats and since I don't make truffles I would have to just dream oven or no.
Two things here, one this cold snap is supposed to be over soon. I would clap, but I can't feel my hands, and clapping could be dangerous under those circumstances.
Second thing, the study about cookies illustrates that those who can postpone rewards are those who are more likely to succeed. For instance if you can say to yourself, I will do my work then I'll reward myself with...
We are aware of what we want now. In our current generation we have accepted the "I'll get a loan and buy my house, or car, or large screen TV, or whatever I want now, and just make payments" society. For better or worse.
In past generations it was 'neither a borrower nor lender be', that was the acceptable advice. I've done both and in some situations either one will work.
However, we often ignore that if we let the cookie lay on the table a bit longer the benefits may be much better. I believe we would be better off if we could go back to the Biblical principle of neither a borrower nor lender be.
Maybe we wouldn't be so cavalier about our possessions. Maybe we would learn to value not just what we have, but who we have.
We are living in perilous times and a throw away society. A time when most everything is replaceable and very little has value. Abortion on demand? Can euthanasia be far behind?
Beauty and vibrant health is what we majorly grasp for. For most of us those are illusive goals. And even people who look good on the outside are not guaranteed to be good on the inside.
We mistake looking good for being good. As the blogger, Seth Godin says: "Run out of chocolate and that's a shame. Run out of oxygen and you're doomed."
"...And sometimes we confuse the thing we want with the thing we need... If your day or your project or your organization focuses too much on finding the next piece of chocolate, you might forget to focus on the oxygen that you actually need."
