I’m grown, so I can eat all of the cake batter I want; no one to stop me. Turns out, 2 spoons is enough, but I pushed it to 4 before accepting my mother was right, too much and I will get sick. As a kid, things I asked to do typically came with a “conditional when.” Can I watch TV, – when your homework is done. Can I go outside and play – when you finish eating. So, now you are grown. Are you still doing things with the “conditional when?” Are you unconsciously applying a task complete and I get a reward?
Delayed gratification is the resistance to the temptation of an immediate pleasure in the hope of obtaining a valuable and long-lasting reward in the long-term. Is it possible you have morphed the “conditional when” with delayed gratification to the point where you have immobilized parts of your life?
I will work out when I have more time, I will eat better when this project is complete, I will/when. Stop it. You are grown. If it is something you want to do, do it. Sure some things need a sequence, you can’t sell real estate unless you have a license. But for many things, ask your self are you just bargaining your life away?
Here’s a test, the Washington Post published Privacy Reset: A guide to the important settings you should change now. So, how do you handle this information? Read now or wait until “when.” Read now, but wait to take action until “when.” This week consider, are you winning, whining or when-ing?
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces 