Jen Gregg As always, I appreciate your thoughtfulness in everything you do and say. I am also grateful for your thought-provoking question. Recently, I was reading an encouragement not to avoid using the good china (metaphorically) or to keep the plastic covers on the furniture, waiting for some special day. Instead, we should use these things to make each day special. This, perhaps, represents the opposite of delayed gratification. It seems like so much in life, we can learn from looking at the extreme ends.

Perhaps we need to delay gratification and do the hard work sometimes, and use the good china at other times. But when to do which?

I think it has to do with settling. If we are settling for less than who we can become, or for living less of a life than we should, that might help frame things. So, for example, maybe we should quit our job to go to photography school if that means we avoid settling for less. We perhaps delay the material gratification of an income to do what’s going to make us happy.

Maybe our strategy, then, is less a matter of planning and more a matter of calling. We don’t settle for less than our calling. In Sarah’s case, it was clear what she wanted to do. Now she is happy doing it and very good at it.

If may be as simple as not giving up on your dream. I know one thing: just by asking the question, you are ahead of the vast majority of people!

I had a college placement advisor who always said, “Direction is more important than speed” when it comes to vocational matter. I think this is true.

Thank you for your kind words concerning productivity! To whatever degree I’m able to get things done, I attribute it to: being a morning person; watching little TV; putting emphasis on people instead of things (as my messy surroundings attest!); not being afraid to get something out there, even if not perfect; making sure I get plenty of sleep. We all need to find what helps us do the best we can with the little time we have on Earth!

Thank you, Jen, I always love hearing from you and appreciate all the good things you bring to the world!