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“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
As an 18 year old kid, I think I speak for everyone in my age group and beyond when I say that when we want things done, we want them done as fast as possible. Why do you think the majority of markets are selling products that are “fast and efficient”? It’s because the “fast product” market is the most profitable market there is.
And “fast and efficient” products get things done now. At the dawn of the internet, I can still remember my old dial-up internet connection. I would’ve killed for the technology we have now at our disposal. With food, I used to make burritos by hand. Now you can just pop a frozen one in the oven and 3-5 minutes later, it’ll be done. However, in a world going seemingly a thousand miles per second, we are conditioning ourselves to be satisfied with instant gratification.
This isn’t a good thing.
We are being misled into thinking that things must happen quickly, that no matter how fast we’re going that we’re going too slow, and that everyone else is getting there much faster than we are.
Those that get lucky and have the chance to get somewhere faster are the exception, not the rule.
Common misconceptions involving instant gratifications include:
Exhibit A: Get rich quick
There’s really no such thing as getting rich quick. Though it depends on what you mean by ‘quick’, you can’t become a millionaire overnight (except if you gamble or win the lottery, but both of those, though possible, are highly improbable). Sometimes while surfing the web, I can see ads for making money on Twitter in just 5 hours of work. While this may work for some of us, it will not work for all of us. Again, it is the exception and not the rule that can get rich in a flash while for the rest of us it will take time to make any actually money.
Exhibit B: The myth of natural talent
A lot of people like the idea of mastering anything they get their hands on in a relatively short time. While this may seem good in the short term view, the reality of the matter of this happens because of luck. Some people can pick up skills in a matter of minutes, while others take longer to get something mastered. If you want to be good at something, don’t expect to be good in just a few sessions of practice. Not all of us can be Mozart (who composed at the age of five and became a musician at age seventeen).
Exhibit C: Relationships can be made faster
We all agree that meeting people online is much simpler and faster on the internet. Without the awkward pauses and the forced “hellos”, the internet is just about the ideal place for the average, everyday awkward socialite. Nonetheless, for everything that is gained, there is a loss. Depending on how much time you spend on the internet (which normally consists of numerous short bursts of checking Facebook, Twitter, and other sites), your relationships will grow at a relatively slow rate compared to offline. In life, friendships don’t seemingly take that long to form, but actually require hours of going out and listening to each other to build a real connection. On the net, that’s time we can’t really afford.
I think you understand the effects of being conditioned to instant gratification. But how do you stop it?
Accept the fact that things take time
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. When you work towards an end (depending on what that end may be), there’s going to be a significant dry period. You may not see any significant results for a while. But as with everything else, patience is a virtue and the situations that require it are all apart of life. While life doesn’t last forever, it’s not like it doesn’t last at all. There is plenty of time to do the things you love. You just have to have the patience to do it.
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Excellent post, efficiency is a good think, but do take time to stop and smell the flowers.
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” Lao Tzu
Great post. The title of your article caught my attention right away. We live in a world where everything is about instant gratification. But what’s amazing is that most things that provide instant gratification provide almost no long term fulfillment. Instant gratification seems to only last for an instant. Then you have to move on to your next fix. It’s almost like a drug addiction when you think about it.
Many of us are in the microwave generation. This is when we expect everything to appear and happen instantly. My grandfather said anything worth having takes time to cultivate. So that’s the motto I’ve tried to apply to my life and all my varying ventures. Great topic
Instant gratification is not for long term goal setters. If you have a dream to be a multimillionaire by the age of 22, then you cannot be looking for the easy way out. You must be consistent, perseverance , work hard and keep your mind focused on what want. Instant gratification is for those 9-5ers!
Great post. Interesting topic.
Interestingly,Malcolm Gladwell in his book “Outliers” talks about Mozart. Allthough we call Mozart a “genius”, his talent wasn’t natural in the way we understand it. it was as a result of very hard work. The difference is he started earlier than most people.
@Tyler Hey Tyler! That’s a really great quote. Just slow down and absorb what’s around you right now instead of just trying to grab every single piece of information in one sitting.
@Srinivas I’m glad I got your attention! Great thoughts on instant gratification. No doubt that it’s just like an addiction. Once you get a lot of it, you just can’t get enough.
@Torrey Hey Torrey, your grandfather is a wise man. Put in the time and effort and the result of all the hard work will shine through. We should be ready for anything and not just expect things to instantly work out.
@Jonathan Glad to see you here! 9-5ers definitely need their regular cup of coffee in the morning to wake them up
@Kaizan Yes it’s true. Mozart worked hard at a very young age and most of us at that age probably wouldn’t tolerate it. Start now on something big, but expect a dry period – it’s natural that way.
@Josh The World’s Strongest Librarian is here! I didn’t know you read my blog. This topic is really interesting actually. I got the idea from a Wired article I read last week. I’ve realized that the internet is changing from just information being spouted by search engines towards people really sharing in depth content with everyone else. You can’t just depend on bots to search for info. Sure it’s fast, but it’s not always right or relevant.
Good stuff. My main concern with every instant gratification innovation is that I see attention spans dwindling away to nothing, including my own!
When the ability to concentrate starts to fade, you have to depend on someone else to answer your questions–someone who can concentrate and problem solve.
Better hope they’re right!
Take care friend. Thought provoking as always.
I think the relationship instant gratification is the most dangerous because it involves another individual’s feelings and outcomes not just your own.
You are absolutely right about things taking time. The time is for the development of the skills and experiences needed to keep what you get,
Examples:
87% if lottery winners are broke within 3 years!!
Only 8% of married couples met in a bar or club.
If you don’t take the time to manage money, then when you get it you won’t be able to keep it.
If you don’t take the time to grow a relationship the right way, you won’t know how to maintain it when things get hard.
Great post! This is a really good reminder for us all.
Thanks for the reminder that everything doesn’t just happen instantly. I know I have probably given up on things a little too fast that would have ultimately come to fruition if I had only been more patient. As you pointed out, it is so easy to get caught up in arriving at that destination as soon as possible, but I now understand that the process and the journey both exist for a reason. There is so much to be learned along the way.
Another great post – well done John!
Yes, I too am guilty of wanting a few things now, but I am learning with my own business that “Success is a marathon, not a sprint”.
I can’t claim that wonderful insight, but I can’t think of who said it either!!
Best wishes,
K
John,
I have only been following for a few weeks but I find your insight and inspiring writing beyond your years, man! Thanks for the great read.
Darren Sproat
@Ralph Of course. Relationships that take time to develop have great value in them and whenever you start one, it’s important to take the other person’s feelings into consideration. And man, those statistics are mind-blowing. 87% broke within a year? Thanks for the interesting facts.
@alternaview Your exactly right. Patience is the key! I know it’s annoying to hear everytime (to me anyway), but it’s so true. Having a level head is critical if you want to start anything of significant importance. It’s not about where you’re going, but how you get there.
@Kirsty Glad to see you here, Kirsty! You’re insight is perfectly wonderful
I’m really fond of that quote as well, that success is a marathon, not a sprint. I’ll look up who said it. Thank you!
@Darren Thanks so much, Darren. It really warms my heart to read this. I’m glad I’m inspiring you and others along the way. Hope to see you back here soon.
Came across your blog through pick the brain and I must say… I am hugely impressed. Couldn’t stop going through most of the older posts…
Your writing and advice really ressonates with me.
Thanks for such marvellous posts and thank you for helping us all.
Great post John!
I definitely agree with you here. Far too many people are looking for the quick and easy solutions to life. I think it is obvious that the most rewarding path is always the most difficult.
@Open Heart Thanks so much dude! I’m glad I impressed you
Your compliments are really thoughtful and I truly appreciate them.
@John Hey John! When people hear the word “hard”, they think that it’s not the right path. That the path isn’t for them. Just because something takes awhile to get doesn’t mean it isn’t worth getting.
I think I can agree with things you are saying here for the most part, but not entirely. I might be wrong, but to me there is not enough time to accomplish my goals. I want to achieve things I want as soon as possible, and I hate stagnancy. This, of course does not mean I am looking for any shortcuts, but I am very impatient.
The bottom point is that I don’t think I have enough time to wait and be patient. I need to accomplish before it is too late. I don’t want to think of my goals in the future as dreams of the past days!!!
But definitely a good article, I enjoyed it!
chukwuma you can make burritos by hand??!!!
WHY haven’t you told us this yet?!
@Kasra I know you. You’re really stubborn so I expected some sort of interesting feedback from you. But who am I to talk? I am also sometimes very guilty of being incredibly impatient. It gets old sometimes really, but I have to feel something whenever things take too long. I hope that makes sense to you and thanks for the comment.
@Arjun All you really need are the ingredients – but they’re not as good as the guy’s from Barlett.
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Good post on patience. And anyway, working towards the goal is at least half the fun.
Welcome to the blog Lisa! I agree. Without the work and experience that comes with it, what would be the fun in that?
Thanks for your comment