Does running your fitness or wellbeing business sometimes feel like a never-ending treadmill?
Are you constantly setting new goals, pushing toward the next achievement, driving yourself forward, never wanting to take your foot off the metaphorical accelerator just in case it has a detrimental impact on your success?
Here is another question for you…
What do you have to achieve before you reward yourself for your efforts?
Think about it…when was the last time you actually celebrated a win in your business? Even a small one? We’re often so focused on the next step that we forget to acknowledge how far we’ve come. We promise that when we get to X we will get Y or feel Z but what if that never happens?
Without rewards, motivation starts to dry up, leaving you feeling like you’re running yourself into the ground for nothing. What’s the point in doing this if we never get the “carrot on the stick” even though it’s dangled in front of us all the time? And who dangles the carrot? We do! We do this to ourselves!
As humans, we’re wired to seek rewards. It’s what keeps us motivated and moving forward. Without this dopamine hit, we start to lose momentum, feel deflated and can end up losing the love for what we do. In the worst case scenarios we end up being filled with resentment and simply give up.
Think back to when you were at school – I’m about to show my age here – and the times table chart in class. For me the reward of being able to place a shiny gold star next to my name every time I was able to recite a times table correctly was the best thing ever. I loved it! It gave me the warm and fuzzies and made a part of me want to keep trying – I wanted more stars!
Fun fact: back then I could recite all my times tables up to 13x forwards and backwards. Couldn’t apply it to a maths problem but I could remember them 😉
If I hadn’t had the reward of the shiny gold star, I don’t think I would have bothered but that reward was right for me and it motivated me.
The same principles apply to your business. You need to find a reward that works for you or resentment will build. Without taking the time to acknowledge and enjoy your achievements, a part of you will start to resist and resent the hard work needed for success – you will give up.
You might still show up and do the work, but your energy, passion, and enthusiasm will start to wane. Soon you’ll find you’ve trapped yourself in a business that feels more like a job and you wish you could just hand your notice in.
The key to staying motivated in business isn’t just about setting big goals; it’s about enjoying the journey and rewarding yourself along the way. This mindset shift is crucial if you want to avoid burnout and keep moving forward. If you take one thing from this blog, please take this: reward yourself.
So why do we so often neglect rewards?
- It could be because we think we don’t have time. We’re so focused on the next big thing that we tell ourselves we’ll celebrate when we get there. But here’s the problem: if you’re constantly moving the goalposts, you never actually take the time to celebrate anything.
- Quite often we have simply got out of the habit of giving a reward and so to change the habit is hard for a part of us.
- The ego is also very aware that the more we reward ourselves the more likely we are to change and the ego doesn’t like change. A rewarded, buoyant self is one that is likely to feel excited about moving forwards (out of the comfort zone) but your ego wants you to stay exactly where you are.
To get started with building rewards into your business, the first step is to plan time in your diary when you will reward yourself. Rewards don’t have to be dependent on a certain outcome – you can reward yourself simply for showing up and taking inspired action.
It’s also important to remember that rewards can be small – they don’t have to be flamboyant actions that you paste all over social media. It might be a long soak in the bath, a bunch of flowers, your favourite biscuit with your cup of tea.
If you want to stay motivated and energised in your business, rewards aren’t optional; they’re essential. By building a system of regular rewards into your business, you’re keeping burnout at bay, ensuring your productivity and allowing yourself to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
Don’t wait until you’ve “made it” to start celebrating and rewarding yourself – your ego will never let you feel like “you’ve made it” if you have this thought.
Your business success depends not just on hard work, but on your ability to enjoy and reward yourself for the progress you’re making.
Until next time,
Best wishes
Philippa x