Rewards work. Sometimes.
When we want to build a habit or
achieve a fitness goal, it can help to promise ourselves a treat for our
accomplishment. However, there are
a couple of risks to the technique.
For instance, if we choose a
reward that isn’t that compelling, we can decide, moment to moment, that it
isn’t worth it. Maybe, in a
general way, we want a new gizmo or outfit or thingie, but not enough to
motivate ourselves not to eat the cake or to do more pushups or to spend the
extra ten minutes of cardio. That
can be useful information, of course, but it doesn’t get us closer to our goal.
Alternatively, we can choose
something small that we do want, like maybe a car wash or a pedicure (two of my
favorite fairly inexpensive, inedible indulgences). Then, when we screw up, we think we don’t deserve any of
those things ever. That, in some
cases, can throw us into the whirlwind of self-doubt, self-hatred, and even
self-punishment. Not helpful.
In order to make rewards work for
us, we need to choose carefully.
With a big goal, giving ourselves incremental rewards can help us feel
special and empowered along the way.
If, say, we get some new workout clothes halfway to our goal, we might
make better, faster progress toward the ultimate goal and the big reward, which
might be something like a weekend away, or a better bike, or a fancy makeover.
Just watch out for the ice cream
rewards.
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