How is everybody doing on their Celebrate 2008! goals and resolutions. Did you give up? Are you barely hanging in there? Or is it becoming easier as the tasks that lead you toward your goals turn into daily habits because you have been consistent in doing them? Whatever you are experiencing right now, I hope you renew your commitment to succeed today and push on through the difficult times. Trust me, it will get easier!
An often overlooked way of pushing through the difficult times is to set rewards along the way to keep you motivated. My wife has a desire to lose some weight right now. She has really wanted to try a diet service that sets you up on a meal plan and even provides the majority of the food you need to stick to the diet. She is really optimistic about the results that she would get with this service, but has hesitated because the price didn't really fit in our budget. That is when I offered her a deal.
My experience has been that proper eating will slow weight gain or maintain your current weight, but consistent daily exercise is required in order to lose weight. With her busy schedule, she has struggled to maintain a consistent exercise program these past two years with the exception of the physical toll of chasing after our three boys day in day out. I told her that I would provide the money for the diet service if she demonstrated her commitment to losing weight by exercising every day except Sunday for two solid weeks. I also warned her that it would probably require that she get up a little earlier (she is not much of a morning person) so she could get it in before the boys were up. In spite of that, she was really excited to get started - and she has done great!
My wife has come back to me many times and told me how good she feels now that she is exercising regularly again. Her mood has improved, she has more energy and she feels good about the accomplishment. She said it was rough starting out because she hadn't exercised in a while, but every day she pushes herself a little bit farther and a little bit harder. It isn't always easy and there are days when she procrastinates it and doesn't feel like doing it, but the promise of the reward keeps her moving.
Jack Canfield talks about this as rewarding your inner child. Here is an exerpt from an article of his:
Your Inner Child
A big part of creating more success in life is rewarding yourself when you succeed. So, it’s important to reward your inner child as well. Every time you work hard to meet a goal, the part of you that just wants to have fun has to sit still and be good. However, just like any kid, if it knows it will be rewarded later with a treat, it will hang in there with you.
How can you reward your inner child?
• Take a 20-minute walk after an hour or two of concentrated work
• Go for walks in the morning with your spouse, friend, or significant other
• Take 20 minutes to listen to music and daydream
• Take most weekends totally off
• Take several weeklong vacations throughout the year
• Get regular massages
• Engage in daily meditation, exercise and yoga
• Take music lessons
• Go to movies, concerts and plays
• Listen to comedy tapes and watch the Comedy Network
• Listen to motivational audio programs when driving
So, if you aren't on track to succeeding with your goals, perhaps you need to set up a system of rewards for your inner child. The promise of achieving the goal isn't always enough to keep you going (in fact, it is rarely ever enough). Set up some monthly or even weekly rewards to motivate you. Reward yourself with every milestone you accomplish. It doesn't have to be an elaborate or expensive reward. Just make sure it is something you enjoy.
Review your success plan today and set up rewards to keep you going today!
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