The Wednesday Play: Delaying Gratification

Hi Playmakers,

I crossed a rite of passage last weekend. Yep, I did it — I finally went to Coachella.

As a millennial who feels much closer in life to buying orthopedic shoes than flower crowns these days, Coachella wasn’t on the top of my list. But, as it turns out, one of my best friends ended up headlining the festival and gave me a pair of backstage passes.

If there’s one thing I can say: going to Coachella as an artist’s guest is the only way to go to Coachella (more below about my rockstar bestie). With over 120,000 attendees, even the VIP section of Coachella feels like a zoo these days, so leveling up to an artist’s guest is a game-changer. Artists and their guests receive a private compound, on-demand golf cart service for shuttling, artist-only activations, free snacks and drinks, and, of course, the chance to bump shoulders with all the music industry’s stars.

So, who did I see? Let me give you the goods before we get into this week’s topic.

I’m sorry to let my Gen Z readers down but, as a rock history buff, the coolest person I spoke to at Coachella was rock legend Brian May of Queen. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the paparazzi teams that some of the stars had hired to follow them around (cough, a certain Hilton sister) and I ran into not one, but both of the Schwarzenegger sons, who seemed to be in quite good spirits after the success of the new season of The White Lotus. Lots of other cameos throughout the weekend, but my favorite moment was hanging out with Green Day backstage, as we watched The Misfits.

Now, as a first-time festival goer, I expected Coachella to be pricy — but what I saw shocked even me. General admission tickets started at $649, with VIP passes clocking in at $1,399. A basic meal could set you back over $100. Lemonade? $17.

What’s more telling is that around 60% of attendees used payment plans to afford the festival. That’s a huge, huge jump from just 18% in 2009.

The “buy now, pay later” mindset isn’t just about concerts. It’s a reflection of how many of us, across generations, are navigating a world that encourages instant gratification and constant consumption. The average Gen Z now spends 26% more on credit cards than their millennial counterparts did at the same age and those same Gen Zers are 10% more likely to be delinquent on their debt. The era of ‘Keeping up with Joneses’ has been magnified exponentially with social media creating a 24-hour feed of FOMO.

But here’s the truth: you don’t need everything now. Delayed gratification isn’t a bad thing — it’s about building something bigger. It’s skipping the flashy moment today to create the life you really want tomorrow. It’s putting money into savings instead of that impulse buy. It’s going to bed early instead of doomscrolling. It’s showing up at the gym day in and day out, regardless of your attitude, or working on that business idea night after night, brick by brick. It’s choosing long-term wellness, freedom, and peace of mind over a short burst of dopamine.

And it’s hard. Especially when everything around us says “live for now.” But the people who thrive long-term? They’re the ones playing the long game.

In fact, my rockstar pal Doyle, guitarist of punk icons The Misfits, who invited me backstage at Coachella, embodies delayed gratification more than anyone I know. At 61 years old, he blew that crowd away with more energy than a twenty-something could — and he’s been doing it since he was 14 years old.

So, how do you last 50 years performing in the music business?

For Doyle, it’s about routine and consistency. He goes to bed early, has never drank or smoked (despite his rockstar colleagues), and eats a simple plant-based diet with toast for breakfast and spaghetti for dinner. He hasn’t missed a day in the gym since middle school and writes music or plays guitar every single afternoon. He lives a simple life that prioritizes health and wellbeing and, in the midst of that, has created one of the most enduring rockstar legacies in history. That’s it.

This week’s newsletter is your reminder: when you choose patience, you’re not missing out — you’re setting yourself up.

Let’s dive in.

Jenny

She got banned from PayPal, fired from her startup, and still became the youngest self-made woman billionaire in America. Lucy’s story isn’t just about controversy or code. It’s about a woman who refused to wait for permission, played the game like a man, and quietly became one of the most powerful figures in tech.

Read the story now.

Lucy Guo was born in Silicon Valley to Chinese immigrant parents. Raised in the shadow of the tech world, she didn’t idolize it — she out-hacked it. While other teenagers were studying for SATs, Lucy was automating eBay bids and flipping digital assets for profit. She was eventually banned from PayPal, but not before she used her earnings to buy $5,000 worth of Bitcoin — long before it was cool.

She enrolled at Carnegie Mellon to study computer science but dropped out at age 20 after earning a Thiel Fellowship — a $100,000 grant that rewards students for leaving college and building something instead. That decision would define the rest of her life.

Read Lucy’s entire story.

Insights are only valuable if they’re acted on. Let’s turn this knowledge into impact with small but powerful action steps.

This week’s challenge: implement a discipline around delayed gratification in one area of your life.

Think about any small area in your life where delayed gratification could have compounding positive effects over time and commit to implementing a strategy that will stick. Instead of eating dessert every night after dinner, skip it to gradually improve your health. Rather than sitting on the couch after work, take the dog for a 30 minute walk every evening. Small sacrifices now can result in big gains over time.

Call to Action:

1️⃣ Pick one thing in your life where you can delay gratification, and implement it.

2️⃣ Report back! Drop a comment to share your post below. The best responses may be featured next week.

This week’s play goes to the iconic Mrs. Dow Jones, Haley Sacks. As a top finance influencer, Haley makes viral content that helps you get ahead in your savings. This week, though, she nailed down what many young men and women are thinking: why is it SO expensive to have a kid and how are we gonna do it?

No doubt Haley is this week’s #Playmaker because she nailed it right on the head for so many of us. Check out her take on the new bill designed to improve fertility rates in America (bonus points: find the video on IG where it’s going mega viral).

Want to be featured next?

Make sure to tag @jennystojkovic on your posts across LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or TikTok, and use the hashtag #Playmaker.

The Wednesday Play isn’t just a newsletter — it’s a community. I’ll be announcing much more in coming weeks and months! For now, let’s connect across social.

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