REWARD Yourself!

Good Morning!

The second month of the year is almost at an end and by now you have finished setting your yearly goals and developed a practical plan to ensure that they happen. You have likely inserted your tasks into a calendar that reminds you and ensures that you get them done (High income tasks). 

Your "Time Blocking" strategy is now on "auto-pilot" so that what really needs to be done gets done each and every day..... Right?

One technique for those goals that you have set (in writing) that works very well for a huge number of people in business is called a "Vision Board."

This Vision Board sits where you spend most of your time (your desk?). It reminds you of the "why."

Why are you doing all of this?
Why do you get up every morning? What drives you and what are the REWARDS that you have set for yourself? You will be much more successful if you have a "why."

Perhaps your "why" is a beach holiday in the Caribbean?
Maybe it's a new Lexus? A trip to Disneyland with the kids? Or less stimulating but more so important - paying your taxes! (We will get to tax strategies another day).

My long term Goal was an early retirement.
My reward was actually making it there! Enjoying travelling the winters away in warm climates. Some days I couldn't wait. I always envisioned what this would look like.

What do your rewards look like?
What rewards have you set? Can you picture them?

Often times this is what fuels your goal! Rewarding yourself for all of your hard work and tenacity.  

Make sure you reward yourself! Put that reward into your mind and tag it onto your plan!

They say "a picture is worth a thousand words."
We know from studies that a picture stimulates the mind and drives a deeper thought. This same picture will have a longer shelf life in your conscious - so let's leverage that!

Below is a quick article from Oakley Signs. (go to their site and sign up) I get their emails each week as they often stimulate me to think outside my little box (my little brain). Read it after you have given this all some thought for a minute.

The first time that I used a photo of a reward I was taught to place the photo ( for me it was a Caribbean Beach) in a place where I would always see it, for me that was at my desk. 

The next thing I was taught to do was make a smaller picture of that same reward and laminate it. Then punch a small hole in it and put it on your key chain.

Every time I went for the keys (away from my office) I saw that same Caribbean Beach!

A couple of months later my wife and I spent a couple of weeks on a beach in the Caribbean! I was able to do this because I had reached a goal that I set for myself. The reward was a fun-filled relaxing get-a-way that we will never, never forget! I love rewards!

Make your rewards fun, something tangible but exciting. Also keep them in line with what you are doing. If you make $50 dollars extra this month, rewarding yourself with a new car isn't the best idea. Have fun with this - It works!

Use images to drive your motivation!
Use images to better stimulate your mind. Use rewards and images together to drive yourself towards your goals. It can work for you too!

Now here's that article that stimulated me to share that story!

Using Artwork to Fuel Your Goals

According to BJ Fogg, founder of the Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University, three elements must converge at the same time for behavior change to occur: Motivation, Ability, and Trigger.
Triggers are also called cues, calls-to-action, requests, or offers. You've probably used simple triggers such as Post-It notes or smartphone alarms in order to remind you to run an errand or remember an important appointment.
Triggers are also used to remind us of our priorities. Those who want to lose weight might put inspirational photos on their fridge to interrupt the automatic behavior of night time snacking. People who want to start a fitness program may lay out their workout clothes in a conspicuous place before they go to bed. The idea is simple: To reinforce our behavior or refocus our efforts, we create highly-visible triggers to influence our behavior.
Artwork can also be an effective trigger. Certain images may relax us and inspire us. One way to upgrade the Post-It note trigger strategy is to transform inspirational messages into artwork worth hanging on the wall. A Google search for "inspirational quotes on canvas" reveals thousands of examples of quotes people have had printed on canvas to hang on their walls.
Decorating your office with inspirational quotes on canvas can be a tasteful way to create useful triggers to help you direct your behavior toward your goals. You can customize fonts, colors, and size to match your decor and rotate quotes affordably as your goals change.
(Simple Canvas Prints, an Oakley Signs & Graphics company, is now offering 55% OFF all canvas prints, plus FREE SHIPPING to all Tuesday Tactics subscribers.)