Don’t Eat the Marshmallow Yet

Have you heard of this delightful little book?

It’s based on an intriguing study by a famous psychologist, Walter Mischel.

“In the study, a group of four year-olds were presented with a marshmallow. They were told if they could wait 20 minutes before eating it, they would get a second marshmallow. But if they eat it now, it would be the only one they get.

“Some kids were able to wait, others couldn’t resist.

“Then, all the kids were followed up on many years after. And here’s the startling finding…

“The kids that were able to delay their gratification and wait 20 minutes to get a second marshmallow were much more successful – overall – in all areas of life.

“The ones who could delay their gratification had better social lives, were more intellectual, better off financially, and on and on.”

Moral: Be patient with yourself while you are learning how to do things. Don’t be fooled by instant rewards. And be patient with your customers while they are pondering whether to buy your product or not.

Sometimes giving them, and yourself, another marshmallow can be a very good thing all around. Think?