In a world that is constantly bombarding us with messages of instant gratification and “quick fixes,” it can be easy to forget that many of the things that truly matter in life take time, effort, and ongoing dedication to achieve. Whether it’s building a successful family, a thriving business, a beautiful garden, or a world-class product, these things all require patience, persistence, and hard work to achieve.
Why We Like Quick Fixes
It is natural for humans to seek ways to improve our efficacy, save time and effort. As intelligent and adaptive creatures, we are constantly looking for ways to do things more efficiently to avoid wasting time and resources on unnecessary or unproductive tasks. This is why we are inclined to look for quick fixes – solutions that allow us to achieve our goals or solve our problems quickly and easily, without having to invest a lot of time and effort. For example, consider the task of breaking open a walnut. If you were to try to do this with your bare hands, it would likely take much longer than necessary. However, if you had a nut cracker, you could do the job much more quickly and easily. The nut cracker is a quick fix – it allows you to achieve your goal of breaking open the walnut without having to invest a lot of time and effort.
In this way, our natural inclination to find quick fixes is a reflection of our intelligence and adaptability. By seeking out solutions that allow us to do things more efficiently and effectively, we are able to save time and resources, and to focus on more important or challenging tasks. So it is only natural for us to be inclined to look for fast tracks to parenting, success, or status.
Quick Fix Shortcomings
However, the important distinction we must make is applying efficiency and quick solutions to long term investments that can’t be solved overnight. Personal health, families, careers, businesses, all take a tremendous investment of time and money to cultivate. We should ask ourselves, are we trying to avoid the challenges and difficulties that come with hard work and perseverance? Am I trying to achieve my goals quickly and easily, without having to go through the struggles and setbacks that are often part of the process? In the things that matter most, quick fixes are not always the best or most effective solution, and that there may be times when it is necessary to invest more time and effort in order to achieve our goals.
One study, from the journal Psychological Science, have shown that people who prioritize immediate pleasure over long-term goals are more likely to experience negative emotions and psychological distress. The study found that this pattern of behavior is associated with lower levels of well-being and life satisfaction, and a greater likelihood of depression and anxiety. Another study, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, found that people who are more sensitive to immediate rewards are more likely to experience a lack of satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives. The study found that this pattern of behavior is associated with a tendency to make impulsive decisions, a lack of self-control, and a lack of commitment to long-term goals.
The “quick fix” mentality can make us lazy and unwilling to put in the time and effort that is necessary to achieve greater outcomes. We may be tempted to take shortcuts or look for easy solutions, but the truth is that these things often do not deliver the lasting results that we desire. In contrast, things that are built slowly and deliberately, with attention to detail and quality, are often the ones that stand the test of time and provide the most satisfaction and fulfillment.
For example, consider the process of nurturing successful and happy children. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight, or by following a simple set of steps or formulas. Instead, it requires ongoing effort, communication, and sacrifice to create a strong and loving bond between family members. It may involve challenges, setbacks, and difficulties, but through patience, perseverance, and faith, a strong and loving family can be built. Giving loud and disruptive children the iPad to keep them occupied may make sense in a few critical circumstances, but used prolongingly is a “quick-fix” that will damage their brain development and limit their ability to regulate focus and emotions, ultimately making them more disruptive and requiring more effort to course correct.
Long-Term Matters Most
It’s hard to not think everything should be quick and instantaneous is this fast paced always-on digital age we live in. But if we look at God’s creation and his timing, it appears he’s made long term effort and results and universal constant. Thousands of millenniums creates geographic vistas, a quarter century takes the growth of a child, a near decade for a seedling to mature and bear sweet fruit. As James told early followers of the Church:
“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7)
So we see that God wants us to often wait, and be still, waiting for his timing and being patient in the process. Time can heal all wounds and completely shift our circumstances. Though, it often doesn’t happen as quickly as we like. God often refers to his timing to not be that of our own, because for him “a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). For the early Jews, they were enslaved by Egypt for many centuries. Even after being delivered they wandered in the desert for 40 more years. Consider as well that it took about 300 years until Christianity reached 1 million followers after Christs death.
Even great works of man which have stood the test of time were not overnight accomplishments. The many beautiful cathedrals across Europe took decades, even a century such as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The Great Wall of China was completed over 2,000 years. Even with modern advancements in construction, the Panama Canal took 10 years to complete.
More importantly are the investments we make in our own children and families. From birth to around age 5 are the most critical to a Childs development. During these years, a child’s brain is rapidly developing, and they are learning and acquiring new skills at a rapid pace. It is also during these years that children form their earliest attachments and relationships, which can have a lasting impact on their social and emotional development. The investments we make in our children in those first 5 years will not be seen until many decades after.
Focusing on Long-Term Success
There are strategies to help us be more patient and even trick using our short-term reward inclination to our advantage.
First is to gain some perspective. Look back at your life 10 years ago. Did you imagine you’d be were you are today? Do you think it could have been achieved in 10 years, or possibly you thought it should have been only a few years, but it took a decade instead? Imagine if you consistently worked towards a goal over these next 10 years, where could you possibly be? Try to be ambitious, we humans often overestimate what can be done in a year and underestimate what can done in a decade.
Trying to build a life plan for 10 years is ambitious and daunting. It seems so far off that our brain will quickly write of any possibly of achieving the goal. The first step is to break down the goal into smaller investments over time. Lets say one of your goals is to publish a book. For a full-time author it can take over a year to write a new book, but over the course of 10 years it’s feasible for the average person. If you started by taking just one hour each workday out of your TV watch time to contribute to your book, by the end of 10 years, you would have worked the equivalent of an entire year of 40 hr work weeks.
The next step is to start the new habit or routine. In order to start a new habit you need to make the action as simple and effortless as possible just to get you into the routine. If we’re using the book writing example, say at the desired time you simply open your laptop, type a chapter heading, or sentence, and shut the computer. It was almost effortless and so you didn’t have as much internal resistance to action. Over time as you find yourself more willing and have greater mind space you can then expand on that action and write paragraphs and fill that hour or go even further if you’re feeling willing.
In order to trigger our short-term immediate gratification, celebrate every time you completed what you intended to do. This is called B.J. Fogg’s “Yay me!” reward. Doing this gives your brain a dopamine hit and encourages it to do it again, making the habit even easier to repeat. Along those same lines, try to make that new habit as enjoyable as possible. If we’re trying to write that new book, maybe bring your favorite drink or listen to favorite track. After completing the task, celebrate the win, go watch your favorite show or have a favorite snack as a reward. In stead dreading you will start to look forward to your new routine every day.
It is natural for humans to seek ways to improve our efficacy, save time and effort. The important distinction we must make is applying efficiency and quick solutions to long term investments that can’t be solved overnight. Personal health, families, careers, businesses, all take a tremendous investment of time and money to cultivate. Things that are built slowly, deliberately, and with attention detail often stand the test of time and provide most satisfaction and fulfillment. If we let God’s spirit be our guide, he can calm our impatient ambitions and help us see the miracles which slowly unfold through the passage of time.
