Give a man a marshmallow....

Recently a colleague of mine asked a very interesting question:

If you were offered a 30 day money back test drive of your dream car for just $30 would you take it? 

Of course I would was the obvious answer. Telling me, unsurprisingly, that everyone she had asked had leapt at the opportunity she then asked me if I would feel the same way about an educational program.

Unsure what she meant I asked her to explain. When discussing food, fast cars or fashion almost everyone she asked had wanted to try it out but when she posed the same question about education people started to hesitate.

Why is it she asked that when given an opportunity to improve yourself and your life, do people seem to be far less excited? Consider for a moment an opportunity to change the way you think about the world and even better an opportunity to step away from your 9-5 and start running your own life on your own schedule.

If you were given the opportunity to test for 30 days, with the money back guarantee still in place, a system that has the ability to free you from your desk why would any sane person hesitate? It seems the answer lies in the fact that all too many of us want instant gratification.

We all know about retail therapy having that shiny new car in your drive or pretty new dress in your closet makes you feel good. That rush though is short lived. The chance to work your way into a position where you can feel that glow for the rest of your life just doesn't have the same immediacy.

If however you can avoid the desperate need for that passing pleasure in the now, you can set yourself up to have as much of it as you want in the future. Remembering a famous Psych test done on adults and kids alike, involving marshmallows, I had to agree with her.

People were left in a room with a plate of marshmallows and were told that the researcher would be right back and they'd bring more marshmallows the subjects were asked not to touch the plate. Somewhat amazingly many of the subjects just couldn't help themselves they had to get their sugar fix right now even if it meant less pleasure in the long run.

That is why we are looking for the ones with self control, the people who can see past the little pile of marshmallows to the life supply of sugary treats on the other side. So I want to ask you again. Would you be prepared to spend $30 on a 30 day money back opportunity to change your life?