One of the best ways to achieve your goals is by celebrating goals as you achieve them.
This is pretty common advice...
But the advice comes with a hidden trap.
Let me explain.
There’s no doubt about it.
Celebrating feels good.
So when you mark an achievement with a celebration…
Not only do you give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done…
You’re also programming your brain to link achievement with reward.
Which means you’re more likely to achieve your goals in the future.
But
sometimes we go straight to the next goal without celebrating what we’ve achieved.
Which can be a mistake…
Because we miss the chance to re-enforce this “achieving a goal = a nice reward” reflex.
And this reflex can help us achieve more in the future.
So far, so good.
But have you ever thought about the rewards themselves?
Because here’s the thing…
Just like we can learn to associate achieving a goal
with a nice reward…
We can also program our brains to link achievements with punishment.
How do I mean?
Let me give you an example.
When I was employed, finishing a big work project would sometimes result in a reward.
Like a few drinks with the team…
Lunch with the CEO…
Or even an overnight in a nice hotel.
Doesn’t this sound great?
Well, the truth is…
These rarely felt like a reward to me.
These events usually took place during non-work hours…
With colleagues…
Chatting about work.
It was like work didn’t take enough of my time already…
So it decided to take even more.
And there was very little I could do about it.
After all, it was difficult to say “no” to one of
these rewards.
And even if these rewards happened during the day, it didn’t make any difference.
Because the work didn’t go away.
So it just meant working longer hours the next day.
My reward for slogging my guts out was even less time for myself.
In other words…
The “reward” felt like a punishment.
And knowing a good piece of work could mean a similar “reward” was not particularly motivating.
Now – I don’t think my view was commonly shared.
So maybe it was another sign
that the job wasn’t right for me.
But it does highlight an interesting point.
Namely…
Make sure you reward yourself when you hit a goal…
Or finish a big piece of work…
But also make sure your reward is actually rewarding!
Otherwise it could have the opposite effect…
By making your goals harder to achieve.
That’s my two pennies’ worth.
On which note…
I’m going to wrap this up…
And go for a run.
Have a good Wednesday.
- Tom
p.s. Whenever you’re ready, here are the ways you can connect with me