I came to this conclusion last year as I was trying to lose about ten vanity pounds. I realized that being ten pounds lighter at the end of the process wasn't enough of a motivator for me. I needed small rewards along the way that would give me that extra edge on the tough days. So after every two pounds lost, I promised myself small rewards of new workout clothing, a book I'd been wanting to purchase, and a date night with my husband. Then, my ultimate reward when I met the goal was to talk to my husband about having a baby. Talk about a great motivator!
Well, being that I'm weeks away from giving birth, we all know how that discussion went! I didn't quite reach my ten pound goal, but I found out I was pregnant right when I was at an optimal weight for myself. And I'm not sure I would have been there if it weren't for the reward system I had in place.
You know the saying, "Life isn't about the destination; it's about the journey". I think this speaks directly for our need to have a rewards system as we're working towards major life accomplishments. Even if your goal is so motivating, thinking about achieving it makes you want to dance around the room, at some point you are going to get tired. You are going to get frustrated and question whether or not you've made any progress. And it's at this key time where if you have a reward in place, you will find the extra push to keep going.
So, today, as you are looking at your goal, think of a way to intermittently reward yourself. The above rewards are all things that motivate me. Your list might look very different, but the point is, the rewards have to be appealing to you. Otherwise they won't motivate you at all.
On paper, make a list that looks something like this:
My Current Goal: ___________________________
Time Frame to Accomplish: ____________________
My Top 5 Rewards:
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
Your rewards do not have to be equal in value to you, but it is important that you put the bigger rewards closer to your ultimate goal. Once you've established your Top Five rewards, all you need to do is space them out as evenly as possible from now until your goal deadline.
Then, do something today, even if it is small, that gets you working on your goal. As soon as you meet a reward, don't delay yourself the pleasure of having it. Have the ice cream, read the novel. Go on a beach excursion. Whatever it is... make sure you do it! The key is to accomplish our goals while enjoying life at the same time. If we were only supposed to enjoy the destination, the rest of life would be pretty dull, don't your think?
I invite you today to enjoy the journey! Reward yourself and see if you aren't that much closer to accomplishing the life of your dreams!
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