Dear Dave,

You talk a lot about delaying gratification in order to attain what you really want. This is such a difficult thing to do. What techniques do you use to make this happen? --Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

You’re right, it is hard. Sometimes it’s very difficult to push away from that second piece of pie or get up off your tail and exercise. But learning to delay pleasure is part of the process when it comes to growing up emotionally.

I think when you’ve practiced it long enough your mind begins to grasp the concept that what’s waiting down the road is much better than whatever happens to be sitting in front of you at the moment. I didn’t want to get up and run this morning, but I know that I look and feel better when I do my roadwork. That’s why I made myself get out of bed early and run three miles.

The whole process has to start in the brain, and drop from there to the heart, where it promotes understanding and mature actions. So really, it’s an intellectual behavior that affects will. You have to logically and intellectually grasp the concept, then think about where you’re going and where you’ll end up as a result of your actions! --Dave