Rewarding yourself in your career – Photo credit: chocolate.org
I love shoes. So does one in five women who happen to be turned on more by their shoes than their significant others (but I digress…). And when I think of a reward, I naturally think of shoes and chocolate (except I can more evidently brag on the shoes, than on the extra five pounds nestled around my waist). Which is only natural, since the very basis of motivation lies in positive reinforcement, aka rewarding yourself. Actually, the very first step in effectively using positive reinforcement is by identifying ways to reward yourself. So how is it that as much time as we spend at work and in our careers, in 2013 alone, only 13% of employees worldwide were engaged and motivated at work? Hmmm….
In this era of making plans and envisioning the future, which often translates in forgetting our present selves most of the time, and many a times ends up in realizing we’ve had it wrong all along, what value does rewarding ourselves have? Not much, apparently, since we as millenials are already spoiled, entitled brats. And do we even know how to reward ourselves, when the later iPhone6 is a must-have and we cannot seem to live without 24-hour Wifi…
1. Set short-term milestones! As a young, single associate in Boston, my major milestone came back on Pay Day every two weeks. So did my shoe rewards…I learnt since then you can’t reward yourself every time your bank account balance increases. And you also can’t wait until you have three degrees and five certifications to buy yourself a Snickers bar (family size). Live and work in the moment, and set short-term, realistic milestones. Completed that audit successfully? Buy yourself the shoes (but go to Marshalls and get your discount on…)
2. Don’t put all your eggs shoes in one basket! When it comes to performance, don’t adopt the “all or nothing” approach. As a perfectionist, I would get ecstatic one minute for successfully completing a project, and give up on life the next because my manager gave me one lukewarm review note on another. Take it one project at a time, and keep in mind, perfection is boring! Reward yourself for a job well-done, and decide to improve on what didn’t work out so well…
3. Enjoy the reward! Really, life is short, so if you’re going to reward yourself, do it and do it well! Buy the shoes, wear the heck out of them, and enjoy the moment! You may look forward to Fright, or your next big break, or the career of your dreams, but for today, you did a great job, right here, right now, and it matters…
Stay motivated!
The Corporate Sis.
