By Ron White

This is something I wrote to my 4 year old cousin Cheyanne when I was 30 years old. I have edited it for this article for the lesson that we as adults can learn from her.

Cheyanne,

If we stay as good of friends as we are now, I know you will read this one day. You said something in the car that made me think. I asked you if you were looking forward to preschool starting.

'No!'

'Cheyanne, why not? Don't you want to meet some friends and have some kids at your birthday party? All you know is adults.'

'I don't want friends at school. I want friends at McDonalds!'

It brought our conversation to an abrupt halt. Because, Cheyanne, I am a 30 year old man and sometimes I don't want friends at school either. I also want friends at McDonald's.

There have been times in my life when I chased the McDonald's friends. To this day, women from McDonald's still cause my head to turn. Sometimes I let the happy meal distract me, instead of the delayed gratification of the degree. Sometimes friends from McDonald's seem fun and carefree and friends from school seem boring.

Of course, these are metaphors and I am not talking about fast food or degrees. Cheyanne, it is the same at 4 as it is 30. Human nature tells us that we need what is on the other side, the forbidden, or what doesn't take much effort. Human nature tells us that what takes work and moves slower can't be fun. But, that is wrong.

Life is no happy meal. It isn't instant gratification. It takes the discipline of school but the reward is so much more than a chocolate sundae and a Hamburgler slide.

Cheyanne, I hope that you want the friends that it is initially hard to want. I pray that you want the friends who will be there when the happy meal is over and will walk with you towards faithfulness, self control, success, hope, hard work, goal setting, focus, self-discipline, honesty, integrity and love.

I don't claim to be a wise man, a poet or a saint. But, my heart beats as loud as thunder for the things that I believe and I believe to my core that delayed gratification is the hardest thing to teach – yet one of life’s most important lessons.

I love you very much Cheyanne. I have 26 years on you and I struggle with the same thing. However, who you surround yourself with will determine the outcome of your life. Make the choices VERY carefully.

You have to live with the choices you make.

Your Favorite Cousin,
Ronnie

About the Author: Ron White has spent over a decade training business professionals and students how to improve their memory, grades and income. He has appeared on FOX television, broken a Guinness Record by memorizing a 28-digit number in 75 seconds, been a guest on over 35 radio programs in the United States and Canada, and his articles have appeared in print across the country. Ron's live workshops sell out every time at $349 per person. For more information about Ron's programs, How to Develop the Mind of Einstein, Write It On Your Heart - Simple Steps to Scripture Memory or his all-time, best seller, Memory in a Month,s click here or call 800-929-0434.

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