The Price of Progress: How to Build Resilience at Work (Why Patience, Discipline and Consistency Matter)
In the 1960s, a psychologist named Walter Mischel ran a now-famous experiment at Stanford University. He sat four-year-olds down in front of a single marshmallow and offered them a choice: eat it now, or wait fifteen minutes and get a second one.
Simple? Turns out, not so much.
Only about 30% of the children were able to wait the full fifteen minutes. Most gave in within three minutes. Mischel found it mildly interesting but moved on, later quipping that there are only so many things you can do with kids trying not to eat marshmallows.
But as those children grew up, something fascinating happened. Researchers followed up years later and found that the ones who had waited were doing better — in school, in their careers, even in relationships. They were more resilient, more focused, and more successful.
Reflecting on the study, Dieter F. Uchtdorf put it like this:
“What started as a simple experiment with children and marshmallows became a landmark study suggesting that the ability to wait—to be patient—was a key character trait that might predict later success in life.” [1]
Resilience Is Not Passive
But let’s be clear: patience isn’t just sitting around waiting for a reward to drop into your lap.
In the real world, the second marshmallow doesn’t magically appear. If we wait passively, we miss out — no growth, no reward, no success.
As Uchtdorf goes on to say:
“Patience is not passive resignation… It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping… bearing hardship with fortitude.” [2]
This is where resilience really begins.
Whether it’s a promotion, a qualification, improved health, or the confidence to speak in front of others, we all have our own version of the “second marshmallow”.
The question is: are we willing to pay the price required to get it?
The Price of Progress
When I was a secondary school English teacher, a student came to me wanting a top grade in his English exam. At the time, I was about to start a six-week after-school study group — one hour a week. I invited him along.
His response?
“That’s too much effort, sir!”
He didn’t get the result he wanted.
Not because he lacked ability — but because he wasn’t willing to invest six hours into his own future.
We see this everywhere.
Ask a group of people who has had music lessons — most hands go up. Ask who still plays — far fewer remain.
Somewhere along the way, the effort felt too high. The progress too slow. The cost too great.
I’ve played piano since I was eight. By sixteen, I had reached Grade 6. That came from a weekly lesson and daily practice over many years.
So when someone says, “I’d give anything to play like that,” I’m often tempted to reply:
“Would you give half an hour a week, and 30 minutes a day, for the next ten years?”
Because that’s the real price.
And this is exactly how resilience is built at work — not through intensity, but through consistency.
Why Consistency Beats Intensity
Aesop’s fable of the Tortoise and the Hare still holds true.
The Hare had the natural ability, but lacked consistency. The Tortoise, steady and persistent, won.
As David A. Bednar explains:
“A spurt may appear impressive in the short run, but steadiness over time is far more effective… and produces far better results.” [3]
This is one of the most important ideas when thinking about how to build resilience at work.
It’s not the occasional burst of effort that drives progress — it’s the small, repeated actions.
This is why Clayton M. Christensen observed:
“It’s easier to hold your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold them 98% of the time.” [4]
And why James Clear describes progress as the result of small, consistent improvements — what Dave Brailsford famously called the aggregation of marginal gains. [5]
The Modern Challenge: Instant Gratification
The difficulty is that we live in a world that rewards speed.
Instant downloads. One-click purchases. Same-day delivery.
Even waiting for the kettle can feel like too much.
As Simon Sinek explains, many of these experiences trigger dopamine — the brain’s reward chemical — giving us quick, temporary satisfaction. [6]
But over time, this creates a problem.
We begin to prioritise short-term rewards over long-term progress.
We chase quick wins instead of meaningful goals.
And in doing so, we undermine our ability to build resilience.
Small Decisions, Big Outcomes
Jim Rohn captured this simply:
“Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.” [7]
And Thomas S. Monson reinforced it:
“Decisions determine destiny.” [8]
Resilience is not built in a single moment. It is built through daily decisions.
You Can Change
We often tell ourselves that change is difficult — or that it’s too late.
But as Daniel Gilbert reminds us:
“Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished.” [9]
Change is not only possible — it is constant. The question is whether we choose to direct it.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to build resilience at work is not about pushing harder.
It is about:
Staying consistent
Showing up when it’s difficult
Paying the price over time
Yes, the cost of progress is high.
But the cost of regret is far higher.
As Theodore Roosevelt said:
“Far better is it to dare mighty things… than to live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” [10]
And finally, Jim Rohn:
“There are two types of pain you will go through in life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.” [11]
References
[1] Dieter F. Uchtdorf – Continue in Patience
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/continue-in-patience?lang=eng
[2] Dieter F. Uchtdorf – Continue in Patience
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/continue-in-patience?lang=eng
[3] David A. Bednar – Steadfast and Immovable
https://www.lds.org/new-era/2008/01/steadfast-and-immovable-always-abounding-in-good-works
[4] Clayton M. Christensen
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/891558
[5] James Clear / Dave Brailsford – Marginal Gains
http://jamesclear.com/marginal-gains
[6] Simon Sinek – Millennials in the Workplace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MC2X-LRbkE
[7] Jim Rohn
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/
[8] Thomas S. Monson – Decisions Determine Destiny
https://www.lds.org/new-era/1979/11/decisions-determine-destiny
[9] Daniel Gilbert – Stumbling on Happiness
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/06/18/daniel-gilbert-happiness-future-self/
[10] Theodore Roosevelt
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes
[11] Jim Rohn
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes