I’m well into a super busy and hopefully productive month. It’s filled with appointments, projects and new goals so I’m already looking ahead to plan how I’m going to keep my motivation levels up. I’m also a huge list person, so my agenda is the first place I go to check of the boxes that make me feel good, but that alone isn’t enough.

The best way I know to make sure I accomplish all the things I have planned is with a reward system. It may sound silly, but I’m okay with that because it works.

Maybe you remember a time growing up when you were rewarded by others for your accomplishments, your follow through and even your failed attempts because you gave your best effort. You probably experienced a confidence boost. It felt good to be rewarded, and it served as motivation to keep going.

We are no different as adults. But the one difference is that we get to be the person who rewards our accomplishments, our failed attempts and our best efforts. We no longer rely on others to do this for us. And, we don’t have to experience the let down when our accomplishments aren’t recognized by others. It’s totally valid that we still need this and we get to give it to ourselves.

There’s great value in rewarding ourselves, especially when we are intentional in doing so.

Intentional rewards offer a confidence boost to push us forward toward our next courageous thing.

Confidence is not a given and can be fleeting. When we are stepping outside of our comfort zone, it takes courage. When we’re doing something we’ve never done before, it requires we access a level of courage to follow through. I believe confidence comes as a result of every big or small act of courage, and attaching this to rewards for ourselves helps ground the confidence to motivate us for the next courageous thing we choose to do, which is exactly what goals are.

Every goal takes courage. We are human, and without rewards it’s too easy to give up or burn out. Life is too short to not follow through.

I don’t want to wait for someone else to give me what I can give myself. So for the past few years, I’ve been rewarding myself along the way with big and small rewards to match the level of courage it takes me to follow through on my goals and desires.

A deeper sense of gratitude for the journey develops in the process of rewarding ourselves along the way.

I’m a true believer that all parts of our journey matter and all are connected, even if we cannot see how at the time. I’m sure you’ve been able to reflect over your own life to realize the threads that connected so many of your choices in your journey with where you are now. It’s true for each of us. Yet, it’s so easy to fail to appreciate them and or even forget them because of their seeming insignificance.

The gift of gratitude ties all parts together and helps makes sense of it all. When the bigger picture comes into focus, we see that nothing was wasted and everything mattered. Our hearts soften when we are able to connect the dots while being grateful. The steps are often challenging. Often the road ahead is filled with hazards we must figure out how to navigate. And sometimes where we thought we’d end up isn’t where we find ourselves.

Intentionally rewarding ourselves along the way attaches value to all parts of the journey, not just the successful parts. We learn immense lessons through the challenges, hazards and missteps. Rewards help us access the gratitude we need to process and appreciate each one.

Rewards offer us fresh perspective to evaluate what we truly desire.

I’ve lost count of the number of things I’ve started and haven’t completed. There were times when I didn’t know how to manage my mind around what I truly wanted. The desires I thought I held fizzled because I lacked the follow through. Sometimes confusion took over and other times fear set in or I procrastinated because of overwhelm.

Can you relate?

Rewards offer a continual stream of fresh perspective. They offer an opportunity to evaluate where we’ve been and where we’re going. Even if we’ve chosen something that wasn’t right for us, rewards value the choice to try and the choice to take a different path. Our fresh perspective reinforces the truth that nothing is wasted and everything matters. No shame. No guilt.

We simply move on. Confident. Motivated. Grateful.

So how do we go about creating a rewards system?

This is where the creative fun begins.

It helps to ask yourself a few questions.

• What reward will support my goal?  
• What reward will inspire me?
• What reward will help me appreciate my efforts?
• What reward matches my goal?
• What reward will encourage me?
• What reward will refresh my soul?
• What reward will set me up for the next step?

It helps to categorize rewards. When the time comes, we can more easily choose the one that most aligns with where we are on our journey toward our goal. I’ve included a My Rewards Inventory to help get you started. There are enough categories to accommodate a variety of rewards. Maybe you’ll want to start with general Large Rewards + Small Rewards until you get more comfortable with the process of filling in additional categories with more specific rewards.

Here’s a few reward ideas to get your creative juices flowing. There are so many more to fit your personal taste and lifestyle…so fun!

Pick out a new book	Book a weekend getaway	Register for a painting class
Choose a new candle	Set a splurge budget	Visit a museum
Enjoy a bakery item	Take a cruise	Go see a movie
Subscribe to a magazine	Buy a designer purse	Dance like nobody’s watching

 

Join a cooking class	The best chocolate treat	Purchase a subscription box
Stay in an upscale hotel	Order take-out	Add a new piece of jewelry
Test drive an expensive car	Subscribe to a meal prep plan	Buy a power outfit
Fly somewhere spontaneously	Plan a meal with friends	Enjoy picking out new perfume