Reaching Goals: Rewarding Yourself for a Job Well Done

You�ve done it! The mountain�s been climbed. The diploma�s been earned. The weight's off and it's staying off � now what?

 

Once a goal�s attained, there�s often a sense of let-down. You�ve worked so hard, for so long, and now it�s over. Accomplishing a goal can leave you feeling at loose ends�so much time and effort was put into working towards the goal that it�s become part of your life. Now that you�ve succeeded, what do you do?

Well first of all, celebrate! You�ve done what you set out to do, and you deserve a chance to feel proud of your accomplishments. Tell a few friends that you reached an important goal, and accept any congratulations they may give you. Don�t rub it in their faces, of course�be graceful in your success. Throw a small party. Enjoy knowing you did well.

 

Now, take stock of where you are at this point in your life. How best can you use that diploma? That new job? Your rediscovered health? Make sure that your success continues to bring you positive experiences. There�s no point getting a degree in Computer Programming if you don�t use it!

You might also take the motivational techniques you used for one goal, and apply them to another. You just lost 50 pounds. Why not take the energy and dedication you used to attain that goal to, say, learn how to scuba dive? Or go back to school? The act of striving for a goal strengthens and improves us. It�s not the goal itself that counts as much as the drive to attain it.

 

Of course, some goals are ongoing. If you�ve been alcohol-free for a year, you have to keep on going. If you�ve trained yourself to swim fifty laps, chances are you want to continue to challenge yourself by setting the benchmark higher and aiming for sixty.

 

If so, remember that raising your expectations does not negate the work it took to reach your first goal. You can�t swim sixty laps until you swim fifty. Each step towards improvement should be seen as an individual success. Acknowledge it, congratulate yourself, and then keep on going!

 

Champions know that success is inevitable; that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback. They know that the best way to forecast the future is to create it. � Michael J. Gelb