notsalmon

Want to torture someone? Make them wait. Waiting is hell.

In fact I think waiting to see if you are going to hell or not is far more torturous than actually being there.

So much so, if you really want to curse someone out don’t tell them "Go to hell!"

Tell them: "Go wait to see if you are going to hell!”

Unfortunately in business there exists a few standard career equivalents to this sentence:

"We will get back to you."

"We need to do a bit more research."

"Lets run the numbers a few ways then decide."

I recognize it’s hard to wait. But if you let impatience influence you in business, you’ll always wind up cutting corners, fudging numbers, and ending up with a product that screams: "Hi! I was cheap and easy!"

Basically, there always 2 reasons to do anything:

1. The RIGHT reason.

2. The reason that was motivated by SPEED.

And there’s always 2 reasons for choosing the second speed reason:

1. Need for CONTROL.

2. Feelings of DOUBT/INSECURITY.

With this in mind, when it comes to impatience there are 3 things to always keep in mind:

1. Fast doesn’t always last.

2. A shortcut is often the longest distance between two points.

3. It’s often better to go for long-term greed that short term greed.

I believe the best business people know the right answer to the Famous Marshmallow Quandary:

Would you rather have one marshmallow now … or …five marshmallows later?

ANSWER:

Always hold out for the five marshmallow business advantage.

YOUR GOAL FOR TODAY:

Be aware of all the one-marshmallows you’re impatiently reaching for, and decide to re-focus instead on the five-marshmallow reward of harnessing patience.