According to Tommy’s therapist, children need to learn two skills in order to be successful. They must learn delayed gratification and to do things they don’t want to do. Is it really that simple? I just don’t think so. The wealthiest, most powerful people in our country consider themselves above cleaning up after themselves and expect what they want, when they want it. The working poor make do with what they have instead of what they need and do whatever they are told, but they have almost no opportunity to succeed. I wonder if the things you need to succeed are really just money and connections.
Hmmm…. how did my husband miss those exact two skills and still succeed?????
I don’t know — there could be something to that theory. Maybe it’s that the delayed gratification and doing things they didn’t want to do is what helped make successful people successful, which then enables them to not have to do those things.
To some degree.
I think there’s a lot to what the therapist said, but it’s not quite that simple. And sometimes you have to learn to delay gratification and do the things you don’t want to simply to survive rather than to succeed.
I would also say that the rich people probably did those things when they had to, but they no longer have to so they stopped. IE they don’t have to do things they don’t want to.