Advance Tech Blog

Its real important to reward yourself. What is the definition of reward anyway? The dictionary defines reward as, “something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior”- a definition that makes sense. I have a slightly different definition: giving yourself a gift for all the blood sweat and toil you have put into a task, so that you have a sign that all the hard work and effort is actually finally paying off. You will want to work harder because you will be more motivated.

One of the best ways to define reward is with an example. My Dad would be one. He is a successful person and has always been a guy with an amazing ablity to work hard. A child of the depression, he grew up in a small town in the south, very poor and didnt have much. Because he was determined and was willing to do the hard work- he actually started climbing the ladder. He advanced from manual laborer, to factory worker, to highly paid company executive. At a defining moment in his career , he went to the local dealership and bought a shiny new Cadillac. As a kid I didn’t understand why. Why would he go out and buy a big monster gas guzzling car? Just filling it up cost a fortune. So I asked him that one day when we were driving. His mark of success or reward was that car. He had made a vow to himself, that if he ever “made it” he would reward himself by getting a Cadillac. Now the reward had been granted. The dream had arrived.

The story illustrates a key point. It is very important to reward yourself for achieving your goals. It is important to reward your self for the following reasons: 1) You will feel like you are making progress. 2) To have a tangible reminder of why you are working so hard. 3) To finalize the achievement of a specific goal. 4) To help measure your progress and celebrate it. 5) Because it feels great and motivates you even further.

I once read an interesting story, about the author Steven King and his wife Tabitha. He and his wife struggled for years, as he tried to make a living as a writer. They didn’t as the saying goes, have “two coins to rub together”. He finally made it and signed a very lucrative book deal. He told his wife that they had finally “made it” and she asked “does that mean I can afford to buy a blow dryer now?” She had not been able to afford a blow dryer and now a blow dryer was in reach. She said that blow dryer, when she bought it, meant a great deal to her, more than anyone can imagine.

It is essential to have goals, both short and long term. It is also vitally important to tie to those goals, specific rewards. When you do its like rocket fuel.

Shawn Doyle is an expert Motivational Speaker and author of 10 books. For a free copy of Shawn’s book The 10 Foundations of Motivation, go to http://sldoyle.com.