It Pays to Wait

Hi! It’s Diane. Hope you’re having a good day! But if you’re not…that’s ok too. I’ll take you
either way: with almond milk and sugar—or black.
You’ve probably had a lot on your mind lately. Most people do. But when being super busy or
stressed out makes us feel trapped, sometimes we just want to do something that makes us feel
free again. You know, like putting the top down and the sunglasses on even though it’s raining…
or January. (Did I say I opened the garage door?)
For a lot of people, the need to break loose ends in some serious retail therapy, the kind that
ultimately makes us feel even more trapped. Often, that’s how the destructive spending cycle
begins.
So, what can we do to stop? How can we get off and stay off this carousel of debt and regret?
Delayed gratification is the key.
Look, I understand. It’s hard to stop wanting things, especially when they keep showing up in
your inbox, feed, or on someone else’s insta. There are some really cool things out there, and a
few of them—like the shiny, red, riding lawnmower with the mulching attachment don’t just
speak to you. They yell your name in so many decibels you feel like you’re in the Superdome.
(Don’t judge me about the lawnmower. Sometimes, it’s more about latitude than acreage.)
We don’t actually need to stop wanting things. We just have to stop wanting them NOW.
I’m sure someone in your life has told you that “Good things come to those who wait” and that
“patience is a virtue.” So, I won’t. But I will tell you that setting a goal and achieving it is a lot
more satisfying than just buying whatever you want when you feel like it and throwing caution
and common sense to the wind. Learning to wait for what we want teaches us patience.
And patience pays.
The fact is that people who wait to buy the things they want, end up buying fewer things. They
spend less than those who can’t wait. These are the people who think into the future. They
remember the 25-year timeframe. And they can do that because they’ve chosen to separate their
feelings from their finances. Of course, you can choose to do that too. I know you can do the
hard things because you’ve done them before!

And the benefit? Well, when you’re no longer on a first-name basis with the Amazon driver, you
can set bigger money goals. Much bigger ones like having the wedding of your dreams, taking
that Alaskan cruise, or even buying the house with the yard that needs the shiny, red, riding
lawnmower with the mulching attachment. (Remember, don’t judge!)
Embracing delayed gratification does something else for you too. It makes you a grateful person,
one who is more able to appreciate all the little wins on the way to your Bigger Goal. The world
is a happier and more beautiful place when people have less attitude and more gratitude. You
know it! So, what do you say? Can you put it on hold for something even better? Of course you
can!

Remember who loves you, ;-)
--Diane

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