I don’t feel bad for people who are drowning in debt – and I don’t expect sympathy from people regarding my debt, either. But people who are constantly on edge or stressed out might reward themselves with a vacation because they’ve been so stressed out lately and they’ve been “really good” about not shopping so much. But are those breaks deserved?
Another example: somebody is trying to lose 25 pounds. They work out every day and eat right. After a few weeks, they’ve lost 3 pounds and they “reward” themselves by going out to eat for fast food.
A personal example: I am spending long hours rebuilding my business when I am not at the office. I am sending emails, sales letters, making follow-up calls, and doing everything in my power to get the ball rolling again. Do I deserve a day off?
My argument is no. Why?
You haven’t accomplished your goal.
Rewards are for people who accomplish something. If you haven’t accomplished your goal, you don’t deserve the reward. If you are struggling to get a job, all your energy in all your free time needs to be dedicated to getting a job – pounding the pavement, sending resumes, calling everybody you send resumes to, getting in every interview possible, reading recent books about how to get a job… you get the idea?
Are you tired? Start figuring out ways to work smarter and not harder. Maybe you aren’t maximizing your effectiveness. Or maybe you are just putzing around too much and need to get serious. Eliminating these little rewards and focusing on the goal may give you a kick in the pants to start making real progress instead of “kinda-sorta-doing it”.
The reward pushes you farther away from your goal.
Eating a big unhealthy meal is calories that you have to work off. Taking a day off from the job search or building the business means one more day you have to spend unhappy in your professional life. Splurging on something because you have been paying off debt means slowing down your debt repayment, and keeping you in debt for longer.
You’re not taking solace in a job well done.
There was a time when the joy of hard work was the knowledge that you accomplished something. When I send out a batch of emails after working on them for a couple hours, I can take a second to revel in the fact that I just made contact with a bunch more businesses. I just got another step closer to my goal.
Instead of the need for a “reward”, start taking joy in your work. It’ll be much more fulfilling, and it will really motivate you to keep pushing towards your goal.
You’re letting somebody else reach your goal before you.
When you are running a race, you’ll pass checkpoints: parts of the race that remind you of how far you’ve run. If I’m running a 3-mile race and I reach the 1-mile checkpoint, I can’t stop and get a drink of water. I can’t take a nap because I’m tired. If I do, everybody else will pass you and reach the finish line first.
If you are currently in the middle of a job search, every day that you spend sitting around is a day that somebody else is getting a job. You know why? Because they spent their free time differentiating themselves and aggressively marketing themselves. They got the job while you were sitting around.
Every day that I spend doing nothing is a day when a different freelance copywriter or marketing firm gets the client I wanted. I can’t stop running the race just because I’m a little tired. I might as well not be running the race.
In the end, you do need to take breaks – but make them small ones. Physically and emotionally, you don’t need the whole day off – go take a walk for half an hour and then get back to work. You don’t need a big unhealthy meal – but you can reward yourself with a small piece of cake or something for dessert. The problem lies in getting carried away with your rewards, and turning them into reasons why you’re in your mess to begin with.
Tom is an entrepreneur and freelance writer, working out of his apartment full-time, or wherever he feels like taking his laptop. He doesn't take long European vacations or blogs on the beach. He's an Average Joe that took control of his life. He wants you to do the same.
