So what can you do to increase your ability to delay gratification?

And why would you want to?

Perhaps because if you want to be successful in life, you need to develop your determination and resilience muscles.

Most successful people are good at:

• Delaying gratification.
• Resisting temptation.
• Not letting fear getting the way of what they need to do.
• Getting the important stuff done.

Here are some ways that you can develop true grit.

Celebrate other people’s success
First of all, resenting their success is hard work, and saps your energy. But secondly, rejoicing on their behalf, directs your unconscious mind to want more success and therefore to create more of it. You want some of that success for yourself too, don’t you?

Quit trying to impress other people
And recognise that things aren’t you. OK, things are nice, but they’re not really important, are they? Focus instead on genuine relationships, because that’s the only way to be happy and healthy.

Stop moaning, criticising and complaining
Same again, if you want to be healthy and happy. All that negativity makes you feel bad and doesn’t change anything. Instead, put your energy into making the situation better. And the best place to start, is of course, with yourself!

Change the record
If you keep re-running mistakes of the past, over and over and over, all you’re going to do is make yourself feel bad. From an evolutionary perspective, we are meant to dwell on the past, only long enough to make a better decision moving forward. So learn from your past mistakes. And then let them go.

Keep your eye on the end-goal
Self-help gurus used to talk about making massive, and life-changing leaps. Now they talk about getting to your goal, bit by bit, in incremental steps. Why? Probably because the research tells us that’s what works most consistently, and you want to give yourself the best chance of success, don’t you? So while keeping your eye on the end goal, concentrate on the next little win, and the next one, and the next one, and soon you will be where you want to be.

Cultivate an attitude of gratitude
It may sound a little corny, but research tells us that making a practice of counting your blessings is more effective in relieving depression, anxiety and stress, than any drugs on the market to date. Focusing on what you have, soon has you feeling much better, and strong enough to get going.

Know when to get your knickers in a twist
You are bound to be familiar with Reinhold Niebuhr’s prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

If you can’t control it, stop fretting over it. Why waste your time?

You are the architect of your life
You are the reason you are where you are today. It’s not someone else’s fault. You are here through your decisions, your thoughts and your actions. The good news is that where you choose to go next, is also down to you. You’re not waiting for someone else’s permission.

So what are you waiting for?

One cool cookie

Could he be more excited?

Maybe if he tried!