The Power of Delayed Gratification

In 1972, a psychologist named Walter Mischel from Stanford conducted the marshmallow experiment. He sat a child in front of a single marshmallow and said, [music] "If you wait 15 minutes without eating it, you'll get two." Most of the children couldn't resist, but surprisingly, years later, it was discovered that the children who did wait were more successful in school, health, and relationships. The ability to wait predicted success more than [music] any intelligence test. And let's admit it, we are a generation that wants everything immediately. [music] A 15-second video, delivery in 10 minutes, instant gratification now and now, and then we have no patience to build something real that takes time. Studies, a relationship, a dream. We eat the first marshmallow and miss out on the second. Only the circle maker saw an old man planting a carob tree. He asked, "How many years until it bears fruit?" He answered, "70." "And will you live to eat from it?" "No, but just as my ancestors [music] planted for me, I am planting for my children." The greatest investment is the one whose fruits are not seen immediately. Science has proven that [music] those who know how to wait win. Honi knew that greatness is planting for those who will come after us. The Holy One, blessed be He, did not give us a world of instant [music] gratification. He gave us a world of plantings that grow slowly. Let's not chase after the marshmallow right now. Let's plant the great tree.