What separates high school from college? What separates the amateur from the pro? What separates the factory line worker from the "greedy pig" who owns the factory?

In essence, what is it that separates the "haves" from the "have-nots"?

I would suggest that the critical difference is that the "haves" were first willing to "have-not". The people who ultimately have little usually blow their wad early. It's the people who can delay gratification that end up holding the cards later in life.

Have you ever noticed the guy who drove the coolest car in high school is not the same guy driving the coolest car at their 25 year reunion? I would surmise that most professional athletes were not winning popularity contests in high school. The "greedy pig" who now owns the factory probably had to sludge through years of tireless obsession to get their enterprise off the ground while his line workers were enjoying daily happy hour and encouraging others to partake so their own lot in life seems a little more palatable.

Pleasures of the now are what produce teen-age mothers, high school dropouts, poverty and host of other societal problems. With the lack of anything productive to focus on, what else is there than to get a job and start this thing called life? What else is there than to "settle down" and start a family? What else is there than to follow the crowd to happy hour?

The funny thing is that kids, jobs, families and like are all good things... in due time. When jobs and families are started as a result of a focus on fulfilling the pleasures of the now, what we get as a result are the problems of tomorrow.

It is a downward spiral of sorts.

When families are started too early, parents get caught into the day to day of just getting by and develop only a mere fraction of their own potential. Their own personal development stops completely. Then in the rearing of their children do you think these parents are able to pass on the "family secrets" to happiness and prosperity? Do you think these kids are brought up learning the value of delayed gratification and how to turn their dreams into reality?

I'm in line at the grocery store and a parent gives in and purchases whatever a kid's heart desires just to appease them for a moment, only to have to appease them the next moment for yet another crisis. Moments turn into minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, days to months and before you know if you have a life full of momentary pleasure. Visions of grandeur quickly turn into bitter pipe dreams and a life of frustration. This all brought about by the fast food attitude of instant gratification. People are literally trading their lives away based on the short lived gratification of animal impulses.

It is time that people learn they can do more than just react to life, to be human means that we need to utilize that which makes us so.

About the Author

Livon Jusbeyond is a freelance writer and journalist. You can learn more about how the broke end up broke and the rich end up rich at http://www.DidYouSmellThat.com