How Delaying Gratification Relates To Having Mojo

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How Delaying Gratification Relates To Having Mojo

Many people believe that being able to delay gratification is a sign of high intelligence and/or good character. An article in Wikipedia details the conventional and demonstrated wisdom that delayed gratification is associated with various positive outcomes. As for mojo and delayed gratification, as a trained engineer I would say they are orthogonal. What this means is that you can have more or less of one without it necessarily affecting how much of the other you have. Nevertheless.in practice, people who have mojo tend to be good at delaying gratification. Here’s what I mean.
In an earlier post, I have described the components necessary to have mojo. Being able to delay gratification isn’t one of them. But to be clear, either one will make you a more successful person.

Delayed gratification is one of the big benefits ascribed to youth sports, for example. In fact, it is said that there are only two ways to learn to delay gratification: in youth sports and the arts. There is little question of the benefits of delayed gratification, as this article in “Psychology Today” illustrates. For further evidence, consider the myriad examples of successful people. In fact, Albert Einstein is quoted to have said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Clearly, he could delay gratification.

Consider some elite athletes. Since becoming an elite athlete almost always involves excellence in youth sports, it stands to reason that all elite athletes will be able to delay gratification. However, clearly, not all elite athletes have mojo. So there must be a difference. However, it is not difficult to name elite athletes who don’t seem to have mojo. Off the top of my head, I can think of two examples. Cam Newton and LeBron James. Neither one is known for helping other players on their teams do better, or taking a restructured contract to allow for more help on their teams. Both are extremely great players, but LeBron James, at least, is said to lack the “killer instinct”. In short, neither one can be said to have mojo, despite their obvious skills and likely ability to delay gratification.
On the other hand, consider Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. For years, Brady was known to take less up-front money in order to allow the Patriots to build a team. Isn’t that the definition of delayed gratification? From his record of accomplishments, it is obvious that he also has mojo. Belichick has been known for his singular focus and ability to fit players into his team, even players that others gave up on. Both have shown mojo and the ability to delay gratification.
Finally, to understand more about delayed gratification, consider its opposite. it has been said that “Entitlement is the polar opposite of delayed gratification.” Entitlement is often a trait ascribed to the millennial generation. If it is, they are in trouble. If a person feels that they are owed something, why would that person want to wait for it? A person who has mojo or the ability to delay gratification doesn’t think this way.

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