Instant-Gratification

Importance of Focus and Patience in Today's Society

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

My grandmother, who went through The Great Depression, always tried to instill qualities in me like saving and resourcefulness, but having become so accustom to one-click internet life, I have become an instant-gratification junkie. It seems like the whole world has turned this way, but will the effects of this momentary satisfaction have a negative outcome on the modern person?

Sincerely,

Wasteful Woman 

A:

Dear Wasteful woman,

There's no question that life moves faster than it used to move. It's easier to get almost everything faster. This has made immediate gratification a reality more often than it used to be. Just because someone wanted something 10 years ago, does not mean that they could have it because it was impossible, physically, to get. Today, that's no longer the case, thanks to technology.

What that's done to society is to teach children, many of whom are now adults, that they can expect things immediately, and often, get them.

While this can be a wonderful resource, it can also be damaging to people who don't think long-term and big picture -- and never learned how. With all of the stimulation available, attention can be at a deficit. Focus and patience have become rare qualities, with long term sight, a valuable commodity.

Some of the places where short-sightedness can take a toll are:

-- Credit card balances that become huge and unwieldy

-- Inability to save to buy a house or save to put children through college

-- Need all problems to be fixed with surgery or medication rather than natural routes 

-- Inability to save for smaller purchases

-- Budgeting time can be a problem for people who are used to getting it "now!"

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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