Tip: Focus on the happy reward and not just the laborious process
Most of us would like to see things happen in our lives that cause increase. We want better relationships and to be wiser with our finances. We want to use our time more effectively and be in good health. We want to prosper and live successful lives.
It is not so much our having a goal or our wanting to receive a reward that presents a challenge. The challenge comes in accepting and receiving the process that it takes to get to that reward. Let me give you an example.
I once heard an Academy Award winning Director state that the night he won his first Academy Award was exhilarating. His dream had finally come true. He stayed up late that night just staring at his accomplishment. He said now that he knew it was possible to win he wanted to set his sights on another one! The next morning he was back in the studio cutting away on film strips. He said he thought to himself, “Last night was a great public experience, but this lonely studio is where the Academy Award is won!” I like that story because it accurately illustrates the process of doing hard work daily in order for the reward and notoriety to follow. They go hand in hand.
Everyone I know wants to look good physically. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. After all, none of us wants to be unattractive in our appearance. The challenge comes in being willing to do what it takes to achieve the end result that we desire. When the “opportunity clock” goes off in the morning and it is still dark outside, not many of us are excited about getting up to exercise. The nice warm bed is calling for us to stay as long as possible. If we focus on having to get up, get dressed, and go work-out or take a walk, I can assure you that the end result will never be achieved. But, if we fix our eyes on “one day at a time”, or just the daily process, we will have a whole new perspective. We will be more motivated to exercise if we think about being healthier and in better physical condition in the future than if we just focus on the actual exercise process itself.
In the game of golf there are 18 greens with a hole or “cup” at the end of each one. Can you imagine how discouraging it would be to play an entire game of golf if you could only hit the ball in the cup just one time at the end of the 18th hole? It would be overwhelming. No one would enjoy working like that without getting a little bit of reward along the way. That is why there are 18 cups…not just one!
The subject of this Tip forces us to change our perspective on work and reward. Both are important but they are very, very different. Personally, I enjoy work but if I did not have some kind of tangible reward along the way, like financial income or freedom of time, it would soon become very discouraging. I have found that when I adjust my thinking and look at the daily activity as part of the reward, it makes the process and challenge of getting where I want to go much easier.
Let me encourage you this week to change your “vision” and start seeing both the process AND the reward that you want to achieve at the end of the road. Then the process will somehow suddenly become less burdensome and the things you do to reach your goal will seem a little bit lighter. This has worked for me and I am sure it will work for you as well.
Tip: Focus on the happy reward and not just the laborious process
Have a great week! God bless you!
Dr. Robert A. Rohm
