“The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term, is the indispensable prerequisite for success.”

— Brian Tracy

If immediate gratification for everything we do is the expectation, why do we …

… bother to get a high school education, let alone a college degree?

… allow an employer to pay us monthly, or even weekly, instead of getting cash daily?

… invest money in home improvements?

… save for retirement?

… buy stocks?

… exercise?

… work hard for years to earn that promotion?

There are many things we do in our lives that don’t involve immediate gratification. We’ll give time to our investments so they will have a chance to grow and earn us more money. We’ll go to the gym everyday to lose weight and feel great. We’ll even go to school for 16 or more years in order to pursue a career that’s rewarding to us.

Giving time, being kind, and helping each other are no different.

There’s no reason to expect our kindness to be returned instantly, nor is there any value in expecting to earn a return on investment for every second we spend helping others. But giving our time, being kind, and helping each other are long-term investments that always pay off.

If we have patience.

Yesterday’s gift of time … Gave a couple of McDonald’s gift cards to the guys at the station who changed the oil in my wife’s van … Cleaned out said van … And cleaned the kitchen. Just trying to help out a little.