If you know me well enough, you probably know that I do a lot of reflective thinking, I love it by the way.
It helps me to process my experiences and take lessons from them.
So, very recently while reflecting on some of the work I had done in 2021, I realized that I had done a poor job of rewarding myself for the work I had done.
Instead, I constantly felt the need to do more.
Now, don’t get me wrong!
I know it is said that ‘the reward for good work is more work’ . . . but I beg to differ because, in my opinion, this could easily lead to an unhealthy motivation to perform.
In fact, in my case, good work led to more work which invariably led to burnout.
I found that I was overly focused on doing more work and performing well so much that I gradually started to lose the sense of the good work I had done, what I had been able to achieve, and who I had become in the process.
Looking back, I now understand why I was mentally and emotionally exhausted at some point during the year – it was because I was all about the next best thing.
I became blinded by the things that I hadn’t done and the things I didn’t do right, and I forgot the things that I had done and done right.
And as expected, I was gradually becoming discouraged and unthankful. Watch me talk about it here.
So one lesson I have recently decided to live by is to embrace healthy gratification as a lifestyle – to deliberately reward myself when I get things right and forgive myself when I don’t.
Because you see, the more we celebrate our milestones, the more we are able to maintain momentum to continue good work.
When we acknowledge and celebrate our milestones, our brains release dopamine that keeps us healthily motivated to continue and do even better.
You should reward yourself because by rewarding yourself, you acknowledge your abilities and take ownership of your learning process and that improves your confidence.
Plus the beautiful thing is, rewarding yourself doesn’t have to be hard, you certainly don’t have to break the bank to reward yourself.
It is as simple as giving yourself an ice-cream treat or taking yourself out to the Cinemas . . . just make sure you do well to pat yourself on the back.
And very importantly, in the year 2022, focus more on what you are learning and who you are becoming, as opposed to just doing more work.
I am learning that beyond setting performance goals, it is important to set learning intentions and develop positive learning habits.
Focus on your journey and connect your learning experiences to sources of personal meaning. That way, you will make the most of your experiences and stay motivated to pursue your goals.
By the way, what do you think about rewarding yourself when you do good work?
Is it something you do?
And if you do reward yourself, how do you reward yourself?
Please share, I could do with a few tips.
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