The Wrong Rewards

I know you work hard. I know you have big goals. You want to grow.





Maybe you want to find a new job, change careers, start a business, write more, blog more, or spend more time with your kids.

I also know how busy you are and it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. You have a gazillion emails, you have endless meetings where not much accomplished, and everyone wants a piece of your time.

When you finally do get home, it’s a mad rush to put dinner together from who knows what because you rarely have time to plan it, much less stop at the market.  Eventually you sit down, you eat, and get a few words in with your kids or your significant other.

Does this sound familiar? Then you know what comes next.

After a long, busy day when everything settles down, you decide you just need a break. You deserve it after your crazy day. You turn on the TV and watch an episode of The Big Bang Theory which may turn into two, or you start flipping channels and then it’s Pawn Stars, or the Voice. After all, it’s just an hour or so and well…you’ve earned it. Is that really what you’re shooting for?
 
Maybe TV isn’t your thing. Maybe your reward to yourself is a bowl of ice cream. Maybe it’s a burger on the way home from your favorite Drive Thru. Maybe you tell yourself, ‘I’ve been eating well lately. I’ve cut back on my desserts and I actually took the stairs in the parking garage today….I deserve this. I earned it’.

These aren’t the rewards you’re looking for.

What you really want, is more time with your kids.

What you really want, is to have the time and energy to exercise.

What you really want, is to do some of that meal planning and cook some of those meals you’ve been pinning on Pinterest.

What you really want, has noting to do with a show about a Pawn Shop or a sitcom about scientists.

How do I know this?

It’s What Matters

I know this because if I asked you to tell me about your goals, I am certain it wouldn’t include more dessert or fast food. It wouldn’t include watching more TV or being able to spend more time scanning Facebook.

I’m betting it would start with having more time to do what really matters.

Maybe you want more time to just be still or pray.

Maybe you want more time to read or take a course.

Perhaps it’s more time with your spouse or your children, time where you just sit and talk and laugh.

Maybe you want more income or to help others.

Maybe you want to take that ‘great idea for a business’ and give it a shot.

You might want to lose weight, or exercise, or simply…be healthier.

Perhaps you want to travel more, or spend time with great friends eating great food.

You may just want to sit on the beach and let the sound of the waves lull you into a mid-morning nap.

Those all sound nice, right?

Do you know why? Because those are the real rewards. And more than that, you know it’s what you truly deserve.

Don’t get me wrong. None of this is easy. There’s a lot of work to be done but there are rewards along the way. They just look different. The other stuff…those aren’t rewards, they are distractions we employ because we haven’t decided what we really want, yet.

Oftentimes, we are so overwhelmed we can’t even see our way clear to understand what’s possible. I certainly don’t know what’s possible for you, but I do know it’s more than you give yourself credit for.

Start Somewhere

Start with you. Write down what you really want. Write down what really matters to you. What makes you happy? What makes you feel good? What do you want to do? Start there. Write it today. Write it again tomorrow. Write it again the next day. This isn’t the work. This is just a first step of gaining clarity around what you really want and understanding the rewards you really deserve.