Morning Motivator – How are you Rewarding Your Efforts?

"Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy."
- Ralph Ransom

The purpose of work is the enjoyment of life. We are placed on this planet to make a difference in the lives of others and improve our species for the next generations. With that being said – what is the best way to ensure we stay motivated and focused on achieving the tasks needed to better ourselves and our futures? The answer: REWARDS!

I have a very good friend that has decided she WILL lose weight in 2008 and has begun a blog to keep accountability for herself along the way. For that – I am proud of her. Moreover, I am proud of her as she recognized that keeping herself motivated throughout the transformation is key. Her first REWARD for success in diet and fitness… a new DVD. Simple, lasting and significant to her. Very will done Julie! What should we all learn from this? It's OK to reward yourself for your daily goals… if you make you sales goal– take a trip. If you division comes in under budget – buy that new camera. If you achieve a goal through the help of another person– take THEM to lunch to celebrate with you. REWARD yourself for your hard work!

SUCCESS STEP:
Take your 2008 goals and chunk them down into quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily goals. Set up a REWARD system for achieving these goals. Here are some examples:

- Daily goals: leave 10 minutes early from work
- Weekly goals: go out to dinner or a movie
- Monthly goals: buy a nice gift for yourself (I bought myself a camera recently)
- Quarterly goals: Take a vacation (3 day weekends are always a nice treat)
- Annual goals: Throw a party… in TAHITI!! (or Hawai'i– your call)

Don't be afraid to GIVE yourself the REWARDS you want in life… just make yourself EARN them! (it helps to have a list of your "desired" rewards to align with your goals).

Cheers,
Zach

*The Morning Motivator has a new look, check it out at - http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com