All journeys require that we exercise some degree of patience. But patience can be a difficult practice, and delayed gratification gets old- especially in today’s world.
With technology ever-evolving, just a simple thought spams your social media feeds and internet browsers with exactly the thing that visits your daydreams. And if you actually search for a sectional or sofa? Forget it! You’ll see so many sofas online that your nightly dreams will be plagued with flying chairs.
How they are able to do this is beyond my understanding but I am very clear on the why. The more we see that wishlist item, the more likely we are to succumb to our desires, pull out the debit/credit card, and buy.
Sean and I are not immune to those temptations nor is it always easy for us to practice patience. In fact, it’s one of the hardest challenges we fight from day to day. Below are a few ways that we exercise the practice of patience when delayed gratification gets old.
Focus On A Distraction
Distractions can be detrimental to a goal but they can also be a powerful tool when used to your advantage. From time to time I found myself getting impatient on our debt-free journey and now that we are building the emergency fund, I experience the same lack of patience.
Instead of focusing on how long we have left to achieve the goal, I find something to occupy that space in my mind and welcome the distraction. I might do some brainstorming for the blog, work on a project or play time with the kids. Anything to redirect my energy.
Take An Inch But Don’t Run A Mile
Remember the saying Give them an inch, they take a yard (or mile)? Or is that just me? I heard some variation of that phrase so often growing up. Usually because I was overextending the good graces of my mom. She’d let us go outside to play and instead of coming home at 6 like she instructed, we’d come bursting through the door at 615/630 or later. And my mother was a stickler for time! Now, I take the inch and stick to the inch!
We (especially me) cannot wait to finally decorate our home. We’ve been back in for a year and a half now and have done no decorating- I mean none. It’s frustrating at times not having it just the way I envision, but I know that this delay is for a bigger reward. The most important thing is the roof over our heads. Everything else is secondary and non-essential.
But I get the decorating itch – and quite often. Well guess what, I don’t have my new bedroom suite, but my plant family has grown. I found something else that I love and that brings me joy. This gives me a bit of fulfillment when it comes to creating a cozy space but it won’t break the bank or affect our financial goals.
Limit Exposure Here, Increase Exposure There
At times we must limit exposure If we want to reduce temptation. I can’t get away from using the internet because it’s essential to my everyday life. But I surely can manage the way I use it.
Limiting social media, for example, isn’t difficult for me because I don’t spend that much time on it to begin with. But when I feel my patience wearing thin, I spend even less time on social media and more time on group boards that motivate me to keep going on the journey.
Remembering Our Why
When we started this intentional journey, we knew it would be a long road. And every segment of the journey would require strong commitment and resilience. When we feel dejected, we take a few moments to remember our why, and reflect on exactly why we decided to embark in the first place.
Keep your why close by. Write it down and reflect on it whenever you need to. We find having a list of goals to be extremely helpful. We have them written on paper and on a dry erase board. Our visual goal tracker has been such a game changer when we need that extra push.
There’s a saying that goes, Anything worth having is worth waiting for. But realistically, sometimes the waiting is difficult. It doesn’t matter what your current journey is, they all require the practice of patience. And anything called a ‘practice’ means that we will have to work at it. If we aren’t patient, we can end up sabotaging our plans and making decisions that are not in our best interests.
Delayed gratification gets old, but there are so many ways that we can power through and make it to the finish line. We just listed four ways above, but there are so many more!
What are some tricks you use to keep yourself on track with your goals, when delayed gratification gets old?
With Intention
Sean and Simone
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