SUSPENDED ANTICIPATION

SPORTS HEADLINE-WORLD SERIES GAME 5 SUSPENDED BY RAIN
In a World Series that was already made historic by it's participants, history was made again Monday night when Major League Baseball suspended Game 5, tied 2-2 in the 6th inning due to inclement weather. This was the first game in World Series history to be suspended by weather and will be resumed at the suspension point at a later date. The Phillies are leading in the World Series 3-1 in a best of seven. They have the chance to clinch the series on their home field with a win in the completion of Game 5.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-
There are times in all of our lives when we need to hit the pause button and chill for a minute. There was a study by Dr. Walter Mischel at Stanford University with 4 year old children where they were left alone in a room for 15 minutes with one marshmallow on a plate. They were told they could eat the marshmallow, but, if they didn't eat that marshmallow, then they would receive two marshmallows when the adult came back in the room. Predictably, some children ate immediately, others were more patient and were rewarded for their patience. 14 years later, those same students were revisited and almost universally the children that waited were more successful, trustworthy and dependable. The moral of the story is having the discipline to delay gratification is a valuable tool that will help shape all phases of your life.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-
Have you ever been at a crossroads professionally where you had to make a decision to take a minute to reassess the situation or just push through and hope for the best result? What did you do and how did it work out for you? Sometimes, taking that step back and determining what's going to be the ultimate best course for the long term may take you an unexpected direction in the short term. Ultimately however, that could be better than just pressing on and then having to make changes and adjustments in the short term to achieve your long term goals.

PERSONAL FINANCES-
One of the most difficult things consumers deal with in their monthly budget and spending habits is delayed gratification. I want that car NOW! I want that house NOW! I want that vacation NOW! But the major problem is, most of us don't have the assets to just make those impulsive purchases without sacrificing something else significant in our financial lives. We often fool ourselves into believing that a want is a need. We all have the same basic needs-food, clothing and shelter. We also have societal needs-transportation, entertainment and education. But anything beyond those are really optional. Being able to fill your needs at the level you can afford them will allow you to at a later point fill those same needs at a level closer to what you desire. Doing it the opposite way is a recipe for disappointment and often times failure.

GAME PLAN-
Have the belief that your time is coming. Know in your heart of hearts that the clouds of today are just the precursor to tomorrow's sunshine and you will soon bask in the glory of the rewards of your patience. When you delay gratification, it doesn't dilute the feelings of joy, jubilation and excitement of your victory, just the opposite. You will enjoy them more because you will know all that you have done to accomplish your goals and fully enjoy your victory!