Each goal step you complete is a success worth celebrating.
So I recommend for each step on your list, set up a reward. For completing simple steps it might be a piece of chocolate or a cookie. For the larger steps it might be a weekend getaway.
It is important to make the reward something equal in “happiness intensity” to the work you have to do. For instance rewarding myself a chocolate chip cookie for painting the entire exterior of my house is not going to influence me. It’s too easy to say “I’ll skip the cookie AND painting the house.”
But if I were to promise myself a new iPod video or other gadget, I’d be out on the ladder first thing tomorrow. Like famous psychologist BF Skinner said, people are a lot like animals in that they will learn when rewarded. Something good to look forward to motivates us to take action.
Ground Rules
Rule 1: Do not take a reward when you haven’t completed a step - that is cheating! Sure, nobody will know, but it won’t get you to the finish line any quicker.
Rule 2: Also, make sure when you complete the step that you do reward yourself. Part of developing discipline is making contracts with yourself. You have to follow through on the contracts. If you don’t reward yourself after completing a step today, why should your mind believe you’ll follow through the next time?
Take out your top goal and look at the list of steps you have that you’ll need to complete. For each step, list an equally “happy intensity” reward.
This is part 19 of 101 Goal Setting Breakthroughs: A 31 Day Blog Series That Will Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever! Subscribe to my free RSS feed to get the rest of the series and never miss a tip!
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