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And you've done it! You've made it to Step 8, congratulations!
Step 8 is our final step in the Effortless Success series and it’s all about the rewards and celebrating the small daily wins. We’ve been working on clarity, setting daily intentions, staying motivated and self-disciplined, controlling our thoughts and staying positive, self-control, taking action, forgiving our imperfections and our final step is all about scheduling in the fun, celebrating small wins and how that also keeps us motivated and makes the process of goal achievement easier.
Schedule breaks, treats and rewards for yourself. Effortless Success won’t work if all the joy and fun are sucked from your days while you are in pursuit of your goals.
Scheduling these rewards infers you have thought about them ahead of time and written them down. Think of things you love to do but never seem to make time for – these would be excellent rewards. Remember to tie them to the achievement of your action items. Here are some examples from previous clients:
When I have completed 20 yoga sessions, I will splurge on a new yoga outfit.
When I have written 200 pages, I will buy a new journal and have a coffee date with my friend.
When I make it out of the grocery store without buying junk food, I will treat myself to an apple & cheese snack and enjoy a sitcom – By. Myself.
When I have dropped 10 pounds, I will treat myself to a massage.
Scheduling in treats – a break from the new goal-oriented routine, is also helpful.
If you are working towards better health and yet love ice cream, consider scheduling that in, perhaps every Sunday, or every other Sunday.
If you are working on your book every night after dinner, perhaps pick one night a week for something you enjoy, like going to the movies, reading a book or having a date night.
If you are working on financial responsibility and have a savings goal, then perhaps when you hit a certain amount in savings you take $25 (cash – no credit J ) for a spending splurge and see how much bang for your buck you can squeeze out at the sales rack.
Celebrating daily successes
Celebrating small wins every day has been shown to enhance motivation, makes you feel happy, and builds your confidence. Use this technique by being aware throughout the day and then spend a few minutes every night and think through all of your successes for the day. You might even want to write them in your journal. Extra bonus points for that.
Celebrate all of the good decisions you made, all of the actions you took in pursuit of your goal. Take a moment and pat yourself on the back, give yourself a gold star in your day planner, tell your partner, visualize your end result and celebrate you.
These three strategies will help you stay motived, make self-discipline effortless and take you towards your long-term goal. This works because it gives you some built-in lee-way and ensures you enjoy the journey.
Your challenge today is to take action and plan your rewards, plan your treats, and schedule time to celebrate your daily successes.
You've got this! Today has your name written all over it!
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Linda Short of Elle Short Coaching is a Goal Achievement Coach, certified health and life coach specializing in goal achievement. As a goal achievement coach, I help people struggling with where they are to create their own life story and take action toward their life vision. So that they can get unstuck, find joy in each and every day, and live their best life.