“Patience and fortitude conquer all things” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
I recently came across a fascinating study done by a Stanford University researcher in the 1960’s. The study offered four year-old children each a marshmallow and told them that if they could wait 15 minutes before eating the marshmallow, they could have not 1 but 2 marshmallows. They then left the children alone and watched what happened behind a two-way mirror. Some of the children ate the marshmallow immediately; some could wait only a few minutes before giving in to
temptation. Only 30% were able to wait.
Among the many findings was that children who were able to delay gratification at four years old, seemed to have an easier time growing up, suppressing impulses, achieving long term goals, have higher grades and incomes, and have healthier relationships. This simple experiment with children and marshmallows suggests that the ability to wait (patience) is a key character trait that might predict later success in life.
I chose to blog about this study today because 1) I am sure I would have been one of the kids who ate my first marshmallow and 2) because patience is quickly becoming a lost value in our society. We now have fast food, instant messaging, on-demand television and the internet all providing us with instant answers and gratification. This lack of patience can create several problems for the girls we serve, our own families, and us as individuals. Unfortunately, due to this phenomenon we don’t always learn that it is necessary to work hard for things we want in life.
One of the things I love about working at Sunrise is watching the girls mature and realize their potential. This process, to use a cliche, “is a marathon not a sprint.” It requires lots of hard work and patience on everyone’s part. The girls who learn how to work to achieve their goals and adopt the values of patience and fortitude are the ones who experience the greatest success both in the program and when they return home.
- written by Corey Hickman, CTRS, Residential Director
