It sometimes feels like just about every aspect of life is demanding us to go faster. Time has become a commodity so valuable that we no longer know how to value it. I don’t remember the first time I saw the line ‘Sleep faster, we need the pillows!’ but, whilst it appeals to my sense of humour, which enjoys the absurdity, it also highlights the apparent obsession we have with haste. From 'fast food' to 'speed learning', we want it now! Just like any ‘get rich quick’ scheme that may arrive in our email inboxes, if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.

So, are there ways to get results faster or are we doomed to a lifetime of disappointment?
The answer, it seems, lies in getting quick results on a small scale but often.

Our brains are programmed to go for instant gratification so we should work with that and aim to get a small feeling of success as often as possible. This will keep us coming back for more and so develop long-term benefits. The key word here is ‘gratification’. We need a good feeling to make us want more. This is why we speak metaphorically of the ‘sweet taste of success’. The metaphor acknowledges the addictive power of both sugar and success.