Getting a Grip on Personal Rewards

Here is another method of measuring how much vision integrity your goals have. Think about the sport you emphasized in your lists of goals earlier in this chapter. On a scale of one through ten (where one is very little enjoyment and ten is as much enjoyment as possible), rate how much enjoyment participating in that sport brings you. Don’t think about the joy that winning brings; this rating pertains to your participation in general. If your enjoyment level is seven or above, it is probably worthwhile for you to continue striving to be your best in that activity. The 10-MT personal rewards program allows individuals to identify the specific type of motivation needed for optimal personal success. Distinguishing between material rewards and experiential rewards helps determine what combination balance works best. Additionally, it is helpful to be able to call on a supporting mentor, coach, or parent as you strive toward your ultimate goal. Experiential and material rewards are the two types of incentives that enhance people’s motivation for goal achievement. For many of us, taking a $15,000 vacation to Africa or buying an $80,000 car is not financially realistic. That’s OK: rewarding ourselves for achieving goals doesn’t have to break the bank. The solution is to search for something meaningful that can symbolize your accomplishment. Rewards can be as simple as eating your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant or displaying a trophy or medal that you won. I know a twenty-four-year-old, Olympic silver medalist who had a photograph blown up, framed, and hung in her house that shows her on the Olympic medal stand during the national anthem. She is reminded of that special moment in her life every time she walks by that picture, and it helped her prepare for competition in the Beijing Olympic Games. Choose an incentive that will bring you pleasure, but do not present yourself that reward until you complete your goal. The incentive should be something that will help you make the sacrifices needed along the way. And be sure to pay up once you achieve your desired goal. Material reward: A tangible item that is a desirable possession. Examples include a new watch, a clothing item, cash, and even a new car. Experiential reward: A reward that emphasizes a positive experience. Examples include taking a cruise and spending a day at the spa. To determine if you are more motivated by material items or experiential activity, compare your scores from the two sections. If your total from questions 1–3 exceeds your total from questions 5–7, then you are mostly motivated by material rewards, and vice versa. If the two totals are the same or within three points of each other, then you are motivated by both types of rewards. Whether you go for the material or the experiential, commit to treating yourself with whatever reward you elect (questions 4 and 8) within three months of attaining your goal. Once again: make it something within your means, and withhold it until you’ve fulfilled your mission. You are also allowed to change your goals and rewards, although people should refrain from doing so repeatedly in a short period. If Michelle had never made the LPGA Tour, for example, she still could have taken her African safari if she had attached the reward to some other important personal goal. If you will spend the relatively short amount of time required to choose ultimate, product, and process goals with vision integrity, then there should be minimal changing of goals and utmost commitment to them. Still, some shifting and redirecting is normal and appropriate. For young athletes and athletes unsure of what sports they most enjoy, I strongly endorse trying other sports as long as you are not changing in midseason. If you are reaching every goal, you are not setting your goals high enough. Coming up short on a goal is not a sign of failure. A goal-setting program is of real use only when goal setting helps you accomplish something you would not have otherwise accomplished. Learn to let goals increase your effort to the stage at which you are doing everything in your power to exceed your dreams. Individuals who truly put everything they have into achieving their objectives can be proud of themselves even with goals they don’t fully reach. Set goals that will lead to greatness, and you will maximize your athletic potential. It is also important to set new goals once a goal is achieved. Remember that you stand to experience more joy and satisfaction from striving to reach your goals than from actually achieving them. So, keep replacing achieved goals with bright, shiny new ones.