What Will Keep You Motivated?

We spent a lot of time creating our goals, big and small and they are all designed to keep us on the right path to success. We are now targeting those goals with weekly action steps, however, if we are avoiding taking action, we will never achieve our goals. Setting up our own personal reward system can help, by inspiring us to get the tasks done, particularly the ones we have been avoiding.

There are different ways to be motivated; both negatively and positively. The negative was when our parents threatened us with “grounding” or the removal of privileges. Positive is receiving a reward for certain preferred behaviour.

You may be asking yourself, how does this fit into goal setting? There are many behaviours that can stop us from attaining our goals, the most common is procrastination  ─ avoiding a task at all costs and that cost is usually our success! This is where a little positive motivation can help, by pushing us past our harmful behaviour and excite us into completing our important tasks.

3 guidelines to keep in mind when creating your rewards

1. Not every goal or holistic area needs a reward

Set up rewards only for tasks or goals that you have been struggling with, ones that you have purposely avoided or ones that have held you back from moving to the next step.

2. Rewards should be in alignment with your goals

Rewarding yourself by contradicting your goal is not a positive way to improve your life. For instance, if you have a goal to save $200 a month and your reward is to spend money, unless it is in a way to enhance your savings, like purchasing an investment such as a mutual fund or real estate, then you are not in alignment with your Best Life. Reaching a big health goal could be purchasing a new bathing suit or jeans to celebrate and show off your accomplishments. Be creative with your rewards, it can be as simple as quiet time by yourself doing your favourite activity.

3. Rewards must fit the level of difficulty of the goal

Have the level of difficulty match the size of the reward. Your parents would reward you with ice cream or a trip to the dollar store for a clean room but not with a trip to Disney World. Most importantly, the reward needs to be something that will inspire you into action. Our objective is to motivate ourselves through the challenges that are holding us back.

Examples of Rewards

Goal: Clean house and purge unneeded things. Clean out closets and donate 50 items.

Reward: Manicure


Goal: Workout 3 days a week (30 minutes) for 4 weeks. 

Reward: A night at the movies.


Goal: Put $100 per pay into a savings account, at $1000 saved invest it in an RRSP. 

Reward: Take the next $100 and spend it on a course for personal finance or hire an Investment Specialist.

Action

  • Download the Your “Rewards” Workbook in the Materials Tab
  • Pick one or two Holistic Areas and write how you’re going to reward yourself when you achieve your Goal
  • Share your Rewards

Materials

 

Worksheet: Rewards